Holes: The Lacey Edition
by Beautiful Seclusion
Summary: Lacey Swanson is a promising Mixed Martial Arts fighter, until she is attacked. The man that attacked her took her to trial, and now she's headed to Camp Green Lake. What adventures await her there?
1. Meet Lacey

I shouted my goodbyes to the boys, then stepped out of the door

Hey guys, I don't own holes, but that would be cool though. I just wanted to wish you all happy reading, and ask that flamers please keep their comments to themselves. Enjoy!

I shouted my goodbyes to the boys, then stepped out of the door. My equipment bag was digging a ridge in my shoulder, but I was all smiles, a good work out did that to me. Currently, I was exiting one of the more accredited Krav Maga, Muay Thai dojos in general Los Angeles area. It was my third workout so far this week, and today was Tuesday. My senseis were trying to get me shaped up to fight in an MMA tournament in seven months. I was promising, that much I knew. Today had been a basic conditioning workout, followed by three rounds with one of the guys that worked there. Training was always exhausting, but it was worth it. I turned a corner, only four blocks from my parent's apartment now. Right now, I was in work out sweats, and I had the hood up to hide my gender. Some parts of LA were always risky, even with cops around. My heart rate had slowed already, and I was nearly humming. Fighting, as ironic as it may be, put me in a good mood. A man in black jumped out of the alley, and I dropped my bag on the sidewalk as he grabbed me in a carotid choke. Reflexively, my muscles responded to the threat accordingly. I jabbed him in the eyes with my left hand, then grasped his arm with both hands. Smoothly, my legs bent, and I leaned forward. Smiling in anticipation, I straightened my legs and sent him flying over me. When I got to him, I stomped on his face, groin, throat, and kicked him several times in the general torso area. I knew what the bad guys used that choke for. He wanted to knock me out and take me somewhere. I'd teach him.

The jury let out a few shocked gasps at my testimony. I hadn't wanted to share the secrets of the fight, but the attorney for that worthless excuse for a human being questioned me about the man's injuries. He smiled; it was a gotcha smile, the kind that people only make when they know they've won. He was probably right too, the jury was wearing general expressions of horror when they looked at me, and pity when they looked at the man. I wouldn't blame them, except I was the one on trial. The attorney paced across the floor, "what happened next?"

I sighed, "A police came around the corner and stopped me."

He nodded, "how would you have continued if you had not been stopped?"

I set my jaw. If I told them what the extent of my training was, they would never let me out of here without putting me on a bus to juvie. "I plead the fifth."

Whispers flooded the crowd before me, and I struggled to keep the case blank. I remembered the headlines even now. "Promising MMA fighter puts LA man in ICU".

That had been my favorite, because it was the only one that hadn't been shocked at my gender. The attorney smiled like a fat cat, "no further questions, your honor."

Then my attorney stood up, and I had to smile. I liked this woman; she was smart and believed me. Her brothers both did MMA, and she understood my training, and my curriculum.

"Red, can you tell us why this man attacked you?"

She gestured vaguely to the man swathed in various casts and bandages. The other attorney stood up, "objection"

The judge sighed, and I could tell he didn't like this guy any more than I did, "yes?"

"Red is not the defendant's real name"

"Sustained"

I nearly groaned, I hated my name more than anything. My attorney knew it. "Lacey, why did he attack you?"

"Beats me."

"Did you do anything to incite this man?"

"Nope"

"What conclusions might his random attack lead you to draw?"

"That he was gonna knock me out and rape me in the back of a truck."

"Objection!"

The judge banged his gavel to gain control over the clamor that rose in the wake of my answer, "over ruled"

My attorney smiled, "Thank you your honor. Now Lacey, you would describe these injuries as a product of your self defense?"

"Objection, leading the witness."

"Sustained."

She tried again, "how would you describe this man's injuries?"

"I was just trying to defend myself from what I thought was attempted rape."

She nodded and winked at me, "Defense rests."

The attorney stood up, "Miss Lacey, you said you were defending yourself?"  
"Yes."

"Don't you think that these injuries might go beyond the realm of self defense?"

"No."

He cleared his throat, "five broken ribs, a broken tailbone, cracked skull, bruised throat, cracked larynx, broken nose, bruised groin, punctured eyeball… am I forgetting anything?"

With this he turned back to the client, my attacker, and the disgusting man cleared his throat, "Collapsed sinuses."

The words came out raspy, and I sank in my chair. That was the first time they'd read the injuries out loud. Each one came back with stunning clarity, and I could guess which blows caused what. "Prosecution rests."

Finally, the grilling was over and I went back to my chair next to my lawyer. She nodded, and handed me a water bottle, "you did well"

"Not well enough, the jury hates me now."

"It's not that bad."

But I could hear the lie in her voice. The detestable attorney stood and called one of my sparring partners to the stand. I liked this guy, he was honest, great at grappling, and had a soft spot for me. He'd actually been my grappling trainer from the beginning, and was now a sparring partner as well. He took the stand, grinning easily. His very presence set me at ease a bit; after all, he was one of the five men in the world I'd have walk into a bar fight with me.

"You've worked at the East Side Dojo for how long now?"

"Five years."

"Do you meet a lot of talented fighters?"

"Well, when I go to tournaments, but there were only a few at our dojo."

"Is the defendant one of them?"

"Red? Yeah, lots of talent. Very promising fighter."

"How good would you say she is?"

"Well, standing up she's great, very fast on her feet, strong, killer left hook."

"How about on the ground?"

"Well, she's not quite as good there. She doesn't like going to the ground."

"Would you say she puts others on the ground?"

"Yep. Throws and sweeps. She learns them faster than we can teach her." So much praise made me smile. I'd never thought of myself like that, I'd known I had talent, but I didn't know the things he said. They made me blush.

"Would you say that she's lethal?"

"Yes."

"What is her fighting style like?"

"It's aggressive, fierce, and strong. Very good."

"Prosecution rests."

My lawyer stood up and I straightened in my chair. The praise was great, but I knew how it would be received by the jury.

"Pat, would you say that Lacey is abusive?"

"Never"

"Tell us, how long have you known Lacey?"

"As long as I've worked at the dojo."

"What's her personality like?"

He thought for a moment, "Well, she's a sweetie. Always smiling, joking. Very caring, once a boy had a bloody nose and she patched it up for him. She's very sportsmanlike. Responsible, mature, strong."

"Would she ever put an innocent man in the ICU?"

"Objection, leading the witness."

"Overruled, Miss Lacey is the one on trial, not your client."

"No. She would probably err on the side of not injuring enough to stop the attack."

"Would she put them in the hospital if necessary?"

"Yes. If she felt like her life was in danger, she would."

"Defense rests."

Pat was let off the stand, and he waved. I grinned, and then looked at my attorney, "will we win?"

She took a sip of water, eyes steely, "we have a fifty fifty chance. I think we've shown that you're loveable, and that you were defending yourself. But his list of injuries is impressive. Plus the policeman's testimony from earlier was damaging."

I groaned in remembrance. He'd said that when he rounded the corner, I'd been attacking the man like a wolf. Only twice as vicious. The jury had frowned at that one. My attorney listened carefully to the other's closing statement, but I didn't. I watched the faces of the jury. I was good at reading people, and I was trying to now. Some stared at me, disgust on their faces. The women in the group were glaring at the persecution attorney. Liz, my attorney, was right, it was pretty dang even. Finally she stood, and walked calmly to the front of the jury. I was so scared that I barely dared to breathe.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have presented my case as well as I possibly could. I have explained to you the situation. Lacey," here I knew she used my name just to soften the jury, "was coming home after an exhausting work out, when she was attacked. Notice even the prosecution has not denied she was attacked? That's beside the point. She was attacked, and five years of self defense training kicked in. She reacted in a way that disappoints the men of her dojo. One of her instructors said that lacey doesn't attack her attacker as much as she should. He also said that she was sweet and kind, ready to help anyone. When she was attacked, she responded with due force. When the police man happened upon the situation, he wrongly assumed that Lacey was the instigator. When the attacker was rushed to the hospital, he decided to charge the girl he'd attacked with undue force.

"This case is nonsense. Lacey acted in a way that everyone hopes their daughter will when met with an attack, defending herself. Now, simply because of her years of experience, her assailant is trying to put her in prison. You all know the facts. You will make the intelligent decision to let this girl walk free. It is the assailant that should be put on trial, for attacking with intent of rape." Voices and shouts rose at this word. The prosecution lawyer was on his feet, shouting, face tomato red. People were shouting, and I heard some cheering, others straining towards me. The judge smashed his gavel down again and again, finally gaining control over his courtroom. Liz smiled up at the jury, "Thank you for listening to this farce of a case, I trust you will make the right decision."

The jury deliberated for two hours, two stinking hours that I spent in the company of my parents, Pat, Liz, and my other instructors Bert and Kirk. Two hours that I spent sweating it out, worried over the verdict. They'd each told me a thousand times the jury would find me innocent, but I wasn't sure. The injuries were long and numerous. Bert patted me on the back, "Either way, I'm proud. You showed that sucker what's up. Even if you go to jail, I'm proud."

I rolled my eyes, "thanks Bert."

Finally the jury exited, faces masks of stone.

"Has the jury come to a verdict?"

"Guilty."

My world shattered. There was no way.

One by one they read off their decisions, and I counted, body shaking. We lost by two votes, and I could tell right now who voted me guilty. That bald man, that fat man, the black man, all men as far as I could see. The judge tapped his gavel to quiet the hum that arose in the courtroom, "Lacey Swanson, you are found guilty by a jury of your peers for undue force. You can now choose between One year at a juvenile corrections facility, or Six months at camp green lake for boys."

I wondered openly, "Why are you giving me the camp option if it's for boys?"

He sighed heavily, "Since you've proved you can take care of yourself, we're giving you that option as well. Juvie is dangerously full, and we don't know if they could take you."

I sighed, "Camp it is then."

Criticism is welcome!! Please review! Also, I need a beta reader, if you're interested, PM me!


	2. Did you say she?

As the Texas desert raced by, I thought with dread about my coming experience

**I am the proud owner of Lacey, and this plot, but I don't own anything else!**

As the Texas desert raced by, I thought with dread about my coming experience. I would be the only girl in an all boy camp. An all boy prison camp. Most of these boys had been here for months and months, and hadn't seen a girl in a long, long time. I shivered at the thought, and focused on what I was going to do. I'd have to be tough; I'd have to be untouchable. I wanted to scare them away, so none of them would dare touch me. If they did, the punishment would be swift and decisive. A guard in aviator sunglasses watched me, gun propped on his lap. Like I would try and escape into the dry desert with no water, like I was an idiot. The rest of the drive passed with monotonous boredom, and we pulled up to an area that looked rather decrepit. There was one house that stood separate from the other buildings, and it looked nice. A tree with a swing stood in front of it, casting a wide blanked of shade. There were two other low, long buildings, about ten tents, and outdoor showers. It was about noon, and I didn't see any boys yet, they were probably off doing whatever. The guard walked me off the bus, holding my backpack to restrain me.

A man in a cowboy hat walked out of a building, and stopped in front of me, eyeing me up and down, "Well well, a girl. Before you know it they'll be turning this place into a Girl Scout camp. Come on in."

My guard and I followed him into a small office that was baking hot. There was no AC. When the guard departed, the cowboy began his spiel, spitting out a few sunflower seeds. "My name is Mr. Sir, and you will address me as such. Are we clear little lady?"

I just glared at him. I could feel my temperament turning, and the legendary redhead temper rose in me like a beast. He scowled, "I asked if we're clear."

Slowly, I nodded, "Yep."

Now his face was a full out glare. "Listen girly, I understand your girly ears don't work so well, so I'm gonna say this slowly. Every day you will dig one hole, five feet deep, and five feed wide in every dimension. You will live in a tent with six other boys, and you wake up at five a.m. sharp. Before I give you the grand tour, I need to search you."

"Aw hell no, you did not just say that."

"Sir." He corrected, an edge of menace in his voice now

"Nice of you to say so, though I am a girl."

Angrily he lashed out with the back of his hand to backhand me across the face, but my reflexes kicked in. I blocked it, and now he was fuming. "Listen girl, we can be friends, or I can make your life hell. Your choice."

"If I'm gonna get strip searched, it had better be by a woman."

He was so pissed now that steam was coming out of his ears, and when he opened his mouth to shout at me, a soft voice interrupted, "Now that won't be necessary. You can get out, and I'll search her."

The voice was female, and I turned to see a pretty woman of about thirty at the threshold. Her hair was blonder than mine, but it was red as well, and she was covered in freckles. Mr. Sir exited with a sullen expression, and she sauntered over, "Nice to meet you Miss Swanson."

"Likewise."

Needless to say, I was very relieved that I wasn't the only girl in this hellhole. She sat in his chair, somehow making it seem like a throne by the way she sat, "I'm the warden of Camp Green Lake, and we search everyone who comes in. When I heard we were having a girl, I thought I'd better come search you myself."

I nodded and stood. She nodded, pleased by my compliance, "Wonderful. Shirt first please."

Overall, it wasn't as horrible as I thought. When I put my new clothes on, an orange jumpsuit that looked older than I was, she called Mr. Sir back in, "Mister Sir, would you please show this young lady around the site? Give her the grand tour."

"Yes'm." He led me out, still fuming as he showed me the mess hall, the wreck room, the showers, the library, pointed out the warden's house, and then showed me to my tent. A goofy looking man was sitting inside, writing things in a little book, but when he saw my hair, he stood quickly, "Ah, you have the new… camper."

"Yes. This is Lacey Swanson."

Pendanski, that's what he said his name was, fell all over himself as he talked about the other boys in my cabin, and I nodded politely through all of it. I was actually having trouble paying attention, because his nose was covered in heavy duty sun block. He relayed a few points, but I just nodded absently, flanking around the tent. In the end he retreated from the tent, and I closed the flap. Before anyone showed up, I pulled the hand wraps that I used for boxing out of my bag; I'd brought three pairs, and wrapped it around my chest. If I was gonna try and fit in, I might as well try and get rid of my femininity now. After all, there was no need to distract the boys more than they needed to be. I fished the pair of scissors I'd hidden in my pack out, and a brown paper bag. Resigned, I tied my hair in a loose pony tail, and hacked it off above the hair tie. When that hair was safely in the bag, I fished out the mirror I'd put in as well. Quickly, I finished chopping my hair to its new length, about an inch long, and stowed everything back in my bag. For the final touch, I tied a bandanna over my newly shorn hair, hiding its unusual color. Done with my dark deed, I opened the tent flap, and laid down on my bed, the only one that was made, and stared at the ceiling. Some time later, a small black boy entered the tent. I guessed him at fourteen, but he was small for his age. He barely paused when he saw me, just went to his bed and laid down in the same pose I was in. As the sun moved in the sky, more boys entered the tent, none looking with too much curiosity in my direction. I guessed my ruse had been a success, for now at least. When the sixth boy entered, Mr. Pendanski entered the tent as well. He cleared his throat, nervous, "Boys, this is your new tent mate."

A black boy in glasses was lying back like a contented cat, "What's his name mom?"

My mouth quirked up at the nickname, but I forced it back down. I was a wall here, a rock; they could not know that I smiled. "Well, actually, her name is Lacey Swanson."

The rustling and chatter in the tent fell silent, and I felt six pairs of eyes rest on me, scratch that, five. The small black boy was still staring at the ceiling.

"Did you say _she_?"

But Pendanski was gone, cowardly in the face of the boy's reactions. The boy with glasses, the leader of the pack, it looked like, stretched out on his bed in my direction. "A girl huh? What did you do to get in?"

I shot him a cold glance, and he put his hands up defensively. I stared him down for a few minutes, and then stared back at the ceiling.

"I put a guy who attacked me in the ICU."

Someone whistled with awe, and their faces were incredulous. Glasses raised an eye, "No lie?"

I shook my head, secretly enjoying their reaction, and still staring at the tent's ceiling. One with crazy hair that stood up on end was staring at me. His bulbous eyes were trained on my body when he asked, "will you strip for us?"

He was sitting on the bed next to mine, an unsightly leer on his face. Glasses started to chasten him, but I'd already shifted my weight, my legs over the edge of the cot, and punched him square in the face. Crazy hair fell backwards off the bed, clutching his nose. I glanced around the tent, finding a different reaction on every face. One was laughing, one was rushing to help crazy hair, one was cheering me, Glasses was calmly watching me, the little black boy was still staring at the ceiling, and one was shocked.

"Well, that brings me to my rules. I only have two. The first, don't touch me. This means everything, no slaps on the back, no arms around my waist, no groping, no hi-fives, no hugs, no nothing. If you touch me, I will do worse to you than I did to crazy eyes over here." I gestured to the bleeding boy, and then continued, "My second rule is to treat me like a lady. I won't beat you over this one, except for extreme cases, but remember that the way you treat me has a direct effect on my mood." They boys were looking at each other with furtive expressions, and I continued, "Crazy eyes over there didn't treat me like a lady, and now he's trying to figure out which way is up. What he said is something I refer to as an extreme case." There was silence for a few moments as they pondered that. If I called that an extreme act, what would I call various other pranks and mischief they could do? The boys were beginning to get it now, a few grins appeared, but I didn't smile, I kept my poker face on. Soon, I could trust them, but it would take a few beatings before my rules sunk in. As my rules had been explained, I laid back on my bed, signaling I was done.

The guy in glasses nodded after everyone had settled down, "Welcome to D-Tent. I'm X-Ray, that's Squid, the guy you punched is Zig Zag, this one's Magnet, here's Armpit, and that little one over there?" He pointed to the little black boy, "that's Zero."

I nodded, and stared back at the ceiling, checking out of the conversation.

X-ray stretched, "So, Lacey huh?"

I nodded.

"I assume you don't like your name."

I shook my head.

Armpit spoke up, "Don't worry doll face, no one will call you that here."

I struggled to keep my composure, "Armpit, come up with a better nickname, or sleep with one eye open tonight."

They all laughed explosively, and their banter picked up. I relaxed my muscles a little, glancing around at their faces. Magnet, Zig Zag, Squid, Armpit, X- Ray, and Zero. Zero had barely looked at me the whole time, and it was now I focused my attention on him. He hadn't said a word, but he was looking at me now, his silent stare met mine. I could tell he was trying to read me, so I tried to read him right back, but we both had our poker faces on. Giving up on the matter for now, I listened to the banter, figuring out the group dynamic, who would bend to let me in, who would give me trouble, who would be an ally. They all seemed pretty relaxed; obviously they knew each other well. When the lights of the camp clicked off, everyone crawled into their beds, falling asleep relatively fast. I listened to their breathing, waiting until it was even and slow before I allowed myself to sink into a vivid sleep.

**So, a couple of days after I posted the first chapter, I checked the brand new 'reader traffic' meter, and saw I had 41 views. That is extremely exciting. But then, I only had one review. Do you know what that means? Only one person decided she'd like cookies!! Cookies if you review!! Have review a review good review one review!!**

**Em.**


	3. Float like a butterfly

I was fighting in my dream, but I don't know who. The shadowy figures darted around me and I could feel my strength sapping. I swung for them, but they always shimmered out of my range, and a strange song began to play. I didn't try to listen to it, if I stopped, they would beat me down. It got louder, and got vaguely familiar, what was the name? Something with an 'R'. Rough hands grabbed my shoulders and shook, "Lacey, wake up."

Waking up with a jolt, my left hand lashed out in the direction of the voice, and I heard the satisfying collision of my fist and someone's face. There was a cry of pain and my eyes finally cracked open to early morning darkness. The boys were in various stages of undress, and were zipping their jumpsuits. Magnet was standing next to me, rubbing his jaw roughly, "Girl, you got a mean left hook."

"I've been told, remember: no touching." I rolled out of bed, and pulled the blanked up over the mattress. I may have been the only girl in a group of boys, but I had standards. Next I sat down on my bed and zipped my jumpsuit down to reveal my white tank top. I pulled that off next, and proceeded to tighten my bindings, until a yelp from Zig Zag interrupted me.

"Guys! I thought I told you that if she started stripping, you needed to wake me up."

I glanced over my shoulder and glared at him. Catching my look he fell silent, "If you can't handle it, you can get out." X-Ray put in. "She's a D- Tenter; we're not going to gape at her."

I nodded to X and pulled my tank top back on. When I was all zipped up and ready to go, I fastened a bandanna over my head, tying it much like Squid's. When everyone was all ready to go, the boys exited, and everyone in the camp was already streaming towards the mess hall. There looked to be close to seventy boys, well, sixty nine and me, all decked out in the same orange jumpsuit. They formed a huge crowd in front of the mess hall, and a couple boys from our tent broke off to join others, chatting aimlessly. Soon, though it took longer than I'd expected, glances began to hit me from all sides. Whispers radiated out from me and I rolled my eyes, praying that the door to the mess hall would open soon. And soon it did, and the boys crowded on in, their stomachs more important than getting a visual on me. Armpit led me in, and Squid followed me in, while Zero walked in next to me. I realized they were trying to shield me, and smiled on the inside. I actually got in line close to the end, and by the looks of it, I wasn't missing much. The food looked gross, completely repulsive, and downright disgusting. I took my share though, knowing I'd need food for energy to dig. As I was sliding my tray along the counter, a boy approached me from behind. His proximity made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Trying to keep my calm, I turned, leaving my tray on the counter. Turning to face him was a mistake, because this dude was huge. And smelly, but that wasn't what flooded adrenaline into my bloodstream. My muscles tightened, and my fists clenched. I knew the skin was stretched tight over my knuckles, revealing the scars there. Unconsciously I puffed myself up to my full height and let loose a death glare in his face, "can I help you?"

His face was sly, like he thought he was being charming, "Yeah, actually. You see, I haven't gotten any action in a long time, and I was wondering," he pulled my hips to his, "wanna go?"

I nearly hissed with my fury, and he leaned forward to try and kiss me. Summoning all of my strength, I let loose a knee to his groin. He howled in pain and bent over, and when he did I slammed my knee into his face. Blood streamed from his broken nose now, and he looked up, big dumb eyes squinted against the pain. I took a step forward, and I felt my tent boys crowd in beside. The hostility emanating from our group was tangible, and the entire room was silent now.

Without dialogue this time, the ogre lunged for me, but I sidestepped, my hands coming up and my body slipping into my fighting stance. Zero stepped forward, perhaps to help, but X held him back. The adrenaline flowed through my system, scalding my insides, and I felt light, fast, strong. My body was practically bouncing with all of the energy, and the idiot lunged again. This time I ducked under his arms, and behind him. Fiercely, I gripped his jumpsuit at his shoulders, and let fly a knee into his tailbone. As his body arched from the pain, I slammed him to the ground, and stood above his head, out of the way. The room was silent, dead silent. I quickly scanned the stunned faces of the room, trying to decide if any of them was a threat. What broke the silence was the fallen giant's moan of pain from the ground as he slipped into unconsciousness. My group cheered in victory, and crowded around me, pumping their fists and all of that, but only X dared touch me. He held out his hand and I grabbed it, and he pulled me into a man hug, slapping me on the back, "Ya did good Bee."

I punched him in the gut, even though I was reveling in the pure joy that my quickly changing redhead mood brought me. "No touching X"

A gunshot split the air, and the hall fell quiet, though it wasn't silent. I realized with a thrill that my tent hadn't been the only one celebrating. Mr. Sir stood just inside the threshold of the door, gun pointed at the ceiling. "What is going on?"

His voice was dangerously quiet, and I felt my tent's good mood disappear in a hurry. Three of my boys stepped in front of me, X suddenly at the front. He lied smoothly, "Thlump here tripped on his way up for a word with Butterfly. You should probably get mom to look at him, his nose looks broken."

Mr. Sir's eyes were open different widths as he surveyed my tent, who were staring back pokerfaced. He met my eyes, but I stared back, wide-eyed and innocent. "Fine. Nothing to see here, keep eating."

Quickly, we shuffled to our table, taking our food with us. When I sat, I had X on one side, and Zero on the other, and we ate in silence until Mr. Sir left the room. As soon as the door had swung closed behind him, the conversation started.

"Whoa." Said a stunned Zig Zag.

The rest of the table shoved more food into their mouths, nodding. There was a silence, broken by Squid, "Where'd you learn how to fight?"

I shrugged, eating calmly.

"You're pretty good for a girl," conceded X.

For a girl? Was he saying girls couldn't fight? I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth, but someone beat me to it.

"Pretty good for anyone."

We all stared at Zero, though he went on eating as if nothing had happened. The praise, as well as the reverent silence, warmed me inside.

"Where did that come from guys? Bee? Butterfly? Which one is it?"

Armpit took initiative with this one, "You know, it's like Muhammad Ali's saying 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' we just figured it fit.

I nearly smiled, but then I realized what was on my plate, and that whim disappeared. Of course, I was part of the group, and when we left to go to the library, I felt relaxed, like I could enjoy this a little now.

--

As the sun began to rise, we were just breaking ground into our holes for the day. I watched some of the guys start their holes by wedging their shovels into cracks in the ground, and did the same. Like any workout, I enjoyed it. The lifting and the shoveling weren't too bad, thanks to my regimen of training back home. The heat left my muscles warm and springy, and I was humming unconsciously. I couldn't understand why it bugged the guys so much, digging. I guess doing it every day was monotonous, but it couldn't still be hard for them after all this time. When the water truck came around halfway through the morning, I climbed out of my hole without much effort, and drained the last of my water. A line formed, and I could see the hierarchy laid out before me, X first, then Armpit, Squid, Magnet, Zig Zag, and Zero. Almost smiling, I went to take my place in the back, but X motioned me to the front, "Ladies first."

Pendanski was filling my canteen, and talking, at the same time, "Now this is what I like to see. You boys are getting along just fine, and Lacey is fine too. I like to see you boys treating her like a lady; I think it shows that you're getting back on track with your lives, making a fresh start. You're building character is what it is."

The boys were grumbling, and I could tell they'd heard this talk before. Relaxed, but with sore hands, I went back to my hole and laid down on my dirt pile. Gradually, as their canteens were filled, the boys each sat on their dirt piles, engulfed in a comfortable silence. Squid walked past me to get to his hole, and did a comical double take when he saw my hole, "Man, look at this!"

The boys that had their canteens filled walked over, and whistled at my hole. Magnet came over to see what we were talking about and he shook his head at my hole, "Where'd you learn to dig?"

I shrugged, and they all turned to hear my answer, Zig Zag finished up and came over, "I gotta bury the guys that touch me." They all laughed, and I just took a long sip from my canteen.

"Well, at the rate you're going, you'll be done just after lunch. You're almost matched with Zero." X was incredulous.

I glanced at Zero's hole, and saw that he was at most six inches ahead of me. Resigned, I took another swig of water, "Okay, get outta here, I'm gonna try and beat lunch."

We all went back to our digging then, and all was quiet save for the shoveling, and my humming. An hour or so later I was sitting in my hole when Armpit looked over the side, "Hey Butterfly, are you a singer?"

"Why?"

"Well," he sank down to sit next to me, "Zig Zag heard you humming, and wanted to know if you're a singer. He doesn't want to come over here, because he's afraid you'll smack him for asking."

I rolled my eyes, "Paranoid."

"More than you know. So are you?"

I hesitated, able to figure out where this was going, but I liked Armpit enough to give him a straight answer "Well, yeah, but not with a group or anything. I sing in the shower."

It was then I noticed the conspicuous lack of digging noise. The boys were all resting their elbows on the ground, watching me, and waiting. Armpit asked the question that was on everyone's mine, "Will you sing something?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

Zig Zag crawled out of his hole and scrambled over, "Please?"

I sighed, knowing that there would be no rest for me if I refused, "No. And forget it unless you want to wake up tomorrow in a hole with a yellow spotted lizard."

They dropped it, and let me dig in peace.

**Hello! **

**First off, I want to apologize for the lack of romance thus far. I need to put in background information, and build her relationship with the camp first, but be patient, it's a virtue! Other than that I just wanted to say hey, and thank all of my beautiful reviewers, of which there are three (most notably childhood disruption). Seriously guys? Only three people can take fourty five seconds out of their day and click that little button that says 'go', to send me words of praise, encouragement, criticism, or just to get the virtual cookies? REVIEW!**

**Looooove,**

**Emmy**

**Ps: if you have anything you want to see in the plot, let me know, and I'll see what I can do!**


	4. Sting Like A Bee

When I finally dragged myself back to camp, I was thoroughly ready for a shower

When I finally dragged myself back to camp, I was thoroughly ready for a shower. Absently, I pulled the little bronze shower token out of my pocket and bounced it in my hand. I had a dilemma, how to do this? I could always just risk it; only me, Zero, and a handful of other boys were at the camp right now. There was a small chance they'd see me, but it was a chance I was unwilling to take. I could go late at night when everyone was crashed, but I didn't want to waste the sleeping time. I could go during dinner, but I needed the food more than I needed the shower. What I needed was someone to stand watch, to shoo other people away while I cleaned up. I ducked the tent flap into my tent, and stopped when I saw Zero. Would he peek on me? I didn't think so, he seemed nice enough. He seemed a lot smarter than all of the other boys, except X. X was a leader, and had all the qualities of one, but I wasn't sure I trusted him yet. Lazily, I sat on my cot, "Hey Zero, can I have a favor."

He was silent for two heartbeats, then spoke, "What's the favor?"

"I need a shower, but I'm afrai- worried that if I go by myself I'll get peeked on."

He sat up and met my eyes, "Sure. One condition though."  
Now I was wary. I didn't peg him as a pervert, but would he ask for something I wasn't willing to agree to? I could always ask X, but he wouldn't be back for a while, and there would be more people in the camp. "What's the condition?"

"I get to ask about you."

I was a little surprised, to tell the truth, but it was more than a fair trade, "Sure." As an afterthought I added a smile, "If you look, I will cheerfully beat you to death."

"I'm counting on it."

We walked down to the showers in a comfortable silence, and I guessed Zero was gathering his questions. He was a smart kid, and I wondered what he'd ask. Once behind the corrugated metal, relieved it was high enough to cover my chest, I hung up my towel When I was sure Zero was facing away from me, I unzipped my jumpsuit, "Okay Zero, shoot."

"Tell me about how you got here."

I laughed bitterly, "I told you last night."

"Not in detail," he corrected, "you gave the short version."

"Okay. So I was coming home from MMA training, and I got grabbed by a thug as I was walking home. I thought he was gonna rape me." My voice trembled, and I was disgusted by the weakness. I turned the water on, breathless with the cold. "So I defended myself, probably didn't hurt him enough would describe it, and a police man heard his moans of pain. He came around the corner and cuffed me, and once he heard the story, called it undue force. So I went to trial, and they gave me a choice between juvie and here."

"You should have chosen juvie." He was quiet for a couple seconds, "What's MMA?"

I smiled, scrubbing the dirt from my face, "Mixed Martial Arts."

"What martial arts do you do?"

My hair was next, and I shuddered at the thought of what the harsh soap would do to my hair, "Krav Maga, Muay Thai, some Judo, and a bit of Boxing."

He let out a low whistle, and I made sure he was still facing away, "That's a lot of things. What's the first one?"  
"Krav, well, it's a self defense for the modern world. I learned defenses for chokes, and bear hugs, and Thlumps."

He chuckled, "Sounds pretty cool. No wonder you took him apart, it was exciting."

"I know, I was freaking out internally."

His next question took more time, "Did you know you're just one big ball of contradictions?"

"Yep, it's my claim to fame."

"See, first, you're a girl, but you're the best fighter I've ever met. You're the best fighter I've ever met, but you sing. You're a girl, but your hair is short. You look like some pretty girl that wouldn't last a day, but you're a better digger than our tent. It doesn't make any sense."

I shrugged, letting the water wash away the last of the soap, "Sure it does. I was just a tom boy as a kid, got into music later on, and I really can't help my looks. Except my hair, I cut that the day I got here."

"For real?"

"Yeah, with scissors. I was trying to hide my gender."

His voice was calm, "I noticed right away."

I wiped some of the water off of my body, "I figured. You didn't seem too surprised when mom spilled the beans."

"You don't seem too surprised I'm talking."

This I laughed at, "Hey, if I'm a ball of contradictions, then nothing about people surprises me. I hang out with a lot of weird people at home."

"So do they."

I pulled my jumpsuit on chuckling, then toweled my hair off. Clean and dry, I exited the showers, and extended a hand to the sitting Zero. He took it, and I pulled him to his feet. In a companiable silence we walked back to the tent, only to find X stretched out on his bunk. When he saw us he sat up and nodded to me. My mask of stone was back in place though, and I only nodded back. I laid down on my bunk, closing my eyes to doze off, fully ready for a nap after the long hot day.

--

It was after dinner now, and the boys were intent on going to the wreck room. I agreed, for the sole reason that I didn't want to be alone in case any more thugs came to find me. If nothing else, I had a sense of self preservation. The wreck room was, well, a wreck. There was a broken TV, a radio, a pool table, and a couch. There were more than enough boys in orange suits lounging around, and I tried to enter as inconspicuously as possible. It worked for a little while, and just for a little while, I got to see how the social dynamic worked in here. Overall it was pretty relaxed, and I could tell they guys were just content to gel out on the couch. The long day of digging combined with the meal, no matter how disgusting it had been, really softened them up. A game of pool was going on, and X waited patiently for the table until it was open, then called Magnet over to play. They picked up some sticks, and I watched, trying to figure the rules out. There were ruts and dents all over the table's surface, and it seemed like each one gave the boys a different penalty or free shot. The game was pretty twisted, but X won, probably because he'd been here the longest and knew the rules inside and out. Magnet was putting the rest of his balls into the pockets, but was stumped by a particularly difficult shot. I walked over, "Can I try?"

I could see him thinking about it, but he shrugged, "Why not eh? Give it a shot mija."

I took the cue, looked at the ball, looked at the pocket, then lined up and took the shot. The cue ball ricocheted off the side of the pool table, not the one Magnet had been eyeing, and smacked into the ball he was trying for. Like I knew it would, it ricocheted off the side, and rolled into the pocket on the other side of the table. X and Magnet were speechless, and exchanged glances.

"What? Never seen a girl that could shoot stick before?"

They shook their heads, eyes wide. X recovered first, "You know, we could use this."

"What do you mean?"

Magnet caught on to his train of thought and nodded fervently, "Yeah man." He met my eyes, grinning, "We start a pool tournament, and everyone will bet on the team they think will win. They'll bet high against you because you're a girl, and when you kick their butts, we'll get their shower tokens! Perfecto!"

Once I understood the idea, I nodded, "That could work."

X nodded decisively, "It will."

They ended up partnering me with Zero, giving me the promise that he could play as well as X. Of course, that made us an unlikely team, and I just leaned against the back wall, waiting for X to start the tournament. H stood in the middle room and shouted, "Yo, listen up."

The room fell silent, and all eyes were on X. "We're gonna have a little pool tournament. Send over a team from your tent, and we'll make brackets and get started."

Quickly, nine teams gathered in the middle of the room and X motioned us over, "Alright, A vs. B first, then C vs. D, then E vs. F, G vs. H, and I vs. J. Who ever wins out of the first two have to play each other to get into the second round, okay?"

Everyone nodded, I saw a few eye me curiously. I could practically see the thoughts in their heads. What was the girl playing for? I calmed behind my mask, and sat down near the pool table to see who would be the biggest challenge. They weren't calling the pockets, which made it easier for me in the long run. A-Tent won, but I wasn't pleased by it. The guy, Thlump, that I'd faced off against earlier was playing for them, along with another huge dude. I turned to X and whispered my question, "Who is he?"

He returned my whisper in a low voice, "That's Easy. He's almost as disgusting as Thlump, except he didn't get in here for sexual abuse."

I paled, "That's what Thlump is here for?"

Perhaps he heard the panic in my voice, for rapists and things of the like truly frightened me, "Yeah. Don't worry, we wont let him touch you."

"I don't need protecting."

"Sure."

Then Zero and I stood up, ready to face off against C-Tent. We let them break, and none of the balls went in. I was up to bat first, and put a solid in easily. From that point on, I ran the table. Every ball I touched went in, and I could hear the groans of dismay from the boys that had bet against me. My tent was ecstatic. I missed an easy one then, trying to let Zero have his turn. One of the boys from C made two shots, and then missed this third. Zero put our last ball in, then the eight ball, and our tent was jubilant. The rest of the tents played, and I watched carefully, noting the strengths and weaknesses of each player. None were very imaginative, they went for easy shots, whereas I would try and bounce the ball all over the place to get it in. Finally it was time for the moment of truth, our face-off against Thlump and Easy. They broke, and stripes went in. They ran the table until they had two balls left, then missed a high pressure shot. I took up my cue, and went to work. By now all of the balls were in generally good positions, and I got every one in, until I had just one left, and the eight ball. It was a death shot. The cue ball was just in front of a stripes, and our last ball. I took a deep breath; I was no good at jump shots. Carefully, I lined up, and jumped the cue ball over their stripes. It worked perfectly, knocking our last ball in, and knocking theirs into a dead zone, nearly impossible to make shots from. I knocked the eight ball in, and cheers echoed from my corner of the room. Zero slapped me on the back and I punched him on the arm, face still mask- like. Easy hissed angrily, "You little bitch."

I focused on him, turning up my death glare full force, though I was a little frightened in the back of my mind. Quickly, X stepped in between us, "Chill out Easy, Bee beat you fair and square."

"Yeah man, back off eh?" Magnet put in. I was instantly grateful for both of them, and Easy backed down, but I knew this wasn't the end of the conflict. We played F-Tent, an easy win, then sat to watch J and H-Tent play. I felt very comfortable, with each of my boys around me. Zero was to my right, X to my left, Magnet sat on the back of the couch and just to my right, Squid sat next to him, then Armpit and Zig sat on the ground in front of me. They were protecting me, and for a minute I was a little miffed. Why did they think I needed protecting? But it made sense; after all, I was the only girl, and a valuable asset. Even if they didn't like me, they would still protect me due to sheer sex appeal. I could make the others jealous, easily. When Zero and I went up for the last battle, Tent J broke it, and Zero took the lead this time. He ran the table, and we won without much effort. Our boys were jubilant, and they crowded round us, slapping Zero on the back, and leaving a bubble around me, as per my specifications. X showered us with brass tokens, and I let my mask slip the tiniest bit. Now Armpit could have some extra showers to keep the odor down. That thought would make the Buckingham palace guards smile. When we went back to the tent, and mom finally left after giving us one of his speeches, we settled down into our beds, and I listened to the chatter until they drew me into it. When the lights clicked off, I rolled over to go to bed, and fell asleep with a grin on my face, feeling almost happy about the whole situation.

--

**Hello**

**Alright, I just wanna thank all of my beautiful reviewers. They make me very happy. And their names are : Miss Paparella, Paddawhump, Childhood Disruption, and Insane Koneko. They all rock my world. I encourage everyone to give me CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, and or praise. If you want to see something in the plot, or feel like I could be doing a better job, let me know and how I could fix it! Looooove, Em**

**Ps: I don't own holes, just Lacey, and the plot.**


	5. DTent Studs

For a while, everything went smoothly in my corner of the world

**Hi!**

**First off, I am so very sorry that I haven't updated in forever. So sorry you have no idea, but I have excuses! My internet didn't work for days, and then I was in iowa for three days, and the last three days have been busier for me than you can imagine. Alrighty, now we can get back to the story. For those of you that were sitting there going, 'Where's the romance?' It starts here! So good luck, and let me know what you think!**

**--**

For a while, everything went smoothly in my corner of the world. Yes, it was so boring I almost gnawed my own arm off for entertainment, but I knew what to expect, and everything went as expected. Daily threats from Mr. Sir? Check. Awkward lectures from mom? Check. Showers with Zero standing guard? Check. Holes? Heat? Bad food? Check, check, and check. It was patterned, easy, and I got stronger and tanner by the day. The time without training certainly hadn't weakened me, and I could tell by the hardening of my muscles, and the stripping of any remaining fat on my body, that I was in tip top condition. And of course, right when my life was going right, something happened to throw it off track.

Another boy was let into Camp Green Lake. I hadn't been expecting this, now I would have to make my impression upon him. Recently, I had been smiling more, laughing with the boys, and joking freely, but all of that would have to change. If I wanted the same level of respect from him, I would have to be the wall of steel again, impenetrable. Zero and I were lounging near the water tap when they brought him in. We were swapping stories about our past, but something caught our eyes in the distance. There was a dust cloud moving towards us, and though I'd never seen the sight myself, I knew what it meant. In silence, we watched the bus barreling towards us, curiosity tangible. Quickly, I threw my wall back up, and Zero noticed immediately. After all, it had been months since I'd felt the need to protect myself from my tent, even longer from Zero. When the bus skidded to a dusty halt, the door opened, and our eyes were glued to it as the guard's shoes appeared. I checked my façade, and realized with satisfaction that my bandanna was up and my chest bound, my coverall zipped. The guard stepped off and pulled a boy off by the cuffs. Once the boy's feet touched the ground, I reeled.

He was an Adonis, a god amongst humans, gorgeous. His eyes swept over the land, and he saw Zero and me staring at him. Calm, he met each of our gazes for a minute, and then followed the guard into Mr. Sir's office. Where the door closed, I stared for a solid minute, waiting for my heart to re-start. Zero actually waved his hand in front of my face to see if I was okay.

"Zero, he's adorable!"

Zero rolled his eyes, used to my girlish reactions to certain males.

"What is it this time? The face?" He mimicked me, "The eyes?"

I was fanning myself now, "The whole package." But I remembered where I was: Camp Green Lake, the camp for juvenile delinquents, and felons. He must have done something bad to be here. Gradually, I got back into the swing of answering Zero's earlier question, the one about how I spent my summers usually. I was demonstrating the one thing I'd retained from gymnastics camp, the back bend, when the door swung open. Quickly, I dropped to the ground, and acted absorbed in my conversation with Zero, trying for some reason to conceal my gender. The boy, though he was closer to a man really, walked out of the room, and I scanned his appearance. He was tall, and muscular, short brown hair, and dark, almost black eyes. I was immensely distracted by him; he was exactly my type, and the kind of guy that I could fall for. At least he walked the way one did. I pulled my attention away from him and back to Zero. Reluctantly, I dropped the subject; sorry I didn't have a girlfriend to share it with.

--

Later, we were all sitting in the tent, leaning back, chatting, and waiting for dinner. Zig Zag was animatedly explaining his theory that the warden had cameras everywhere in camp and was watching us all the time. Wildly, he gesticulated, eyes wide. I was shaking my head and Magnet was sitting on the floor next to my bed. Out of the blue he turned to me.

"Hey, why'd you cut your hair?"

I froze, mentally scanning all of the conversations I'd had with Magnet. Not once had I mentioned that I'd sheared my hair before I came. I'd told only Zero, and I was confident that he hadn't told anyone.

"How'd you…?"

He held up the brown bag full of hair and grinned sheepishly.

"My fingers are like little magnets!"

I sighed and swatted his head, taking my bag back. I'd already impressed upon the boys the importance of telling me the truth, so confessing his crime lowered his punishment.

"I was trying to blend in."

I was leaning on my stomach now and pulled my bandanna off, running my fingers through my hair. It had grown since I'd come, and it was now close to two and a half inches long. It was shaggy and flopped everywhere, but I liked it. It suited my purposes for the moment.

"Well, that didn't work out very well." Squid muttered, and Zig nodded.

"It was sorta stupid," Armpit mused, "We woulda loved you even if you had girly hair."

I blew him a kiss and every one laughed.

"I know. But I didn't know what you guys would be like, and was reluctant to remind you of my gender any more than necessary. I thought you guys might be like Thlump. Besides, it's so hot that long hair would be a curse."

They nodded slowly and the bell rang for dinner. We filed out of the tent and made our way to the mess hall, gathering with the masses of other boys. They were so used to me now, they barely stared. It was comforting, so say the least, and I realized later that I'd forgotten about the new boy. While we were waiting, Armpit started to tell a story (it was made up of course), about how a yellow spotted lizard had been about to attack him. Apparently, all he'd had to do was raise his arms and it backed down. I was in the middle of laughing when the boy walked back into the picture.

He was walking with A-Tent and I froze. Immediately my hand flew to my hair and I realized I'd forgotten a bandanna. I just shook the hair over my face and decided to hope for the best, and I went back to listening to the story. He wasn't staring yet, and I took comfort in that. Maybe he would get used to me before he found out, and it wouldn't be awkward. I took a moment to re-catalogue his appearance and I was stunned. He was big, taller than Thlump, and more muscular than Easy, though carrying both with ease. My heart fluttered and I let my eyes linger on him for a second too long, then I looked back to the group. X noticed and pitched his voice so only our tent could hear.

"Butterfly's got a crush."

They took a breath to sing song, but promptly deflated at my glare. They chuckled at my blush, and Squid sidled closer.

"Aw, what's wrong with us Butterfly? Why you gotta crush on some A-tent dud instead of us D-tent studs?"

I ruffled my own hair.

"I can't help it guys, he just caught my eye. Not that you guys aren't studly."

They laughed, but I kept my façade up. This was new; I had to deal with him the way I had with the others. I shot a glare at the new guy, only to notice he still hadn't stared at me. This made me a little more relaxed, and finally we filed into dinner. I got my food and sat down at our table, but nothing happened. Carefully, I chose a seat where I could see his face, but he would have to work at seeing me, and not once during the meal did his facial expression change. Dinner was unsatisfying, and when we finished, our table made its way to the wreck room. We were first there, and so we had first shot at all of the commodities the wreck room had to offer. For a while, I sat with Zig Zag, asking him about the programs he watched on the broken TV. We were halfway through a Spanish soap opera when my boys called me from the pool table. Forgetting the new guy, I stood and sauntered over, relaxed.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar presence stepped too close to me. He was close enough where I could feel the heat coming off of his body. I took a breath. The musky scent of masculinity flooded my senses and a tingle ran down my spine, goosebumps stood up on my arms. I was frozen. A rough hand smacked my rear, and the spell was broken. All too quickly, my temper peaked. Viciously, I spun, whipping my fist around to take advantage of my momentum. My fist smashed right into the new guy's ribs, and he let out a gasp of pain. I wished to hear cracking ribs, but I knew I'd hit a major nerve cluster, and he was in pain anyways. I was furious and I felt the guys gather at my flanks. The new guy chuckled and straightened. His dark eyes seemed to stare straight into my soul and my muscles tightened.

"Feisty. That's hot."

My lower body tightened, but otherwise I was motionless. His arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me too him. This had happened before, with others, but there was a tone of gentleness underneath his rough hands. Lust reared its head in me and he grinned deviously. I began to panic. What happened to my wall? Was I this weak? Why would he defeat me this easily? While I was distracted, he leaned in, wasting no time, and kissed me roughly. Arousal exploded within me, but I was panicked. He broke the kiss and I stepped one leg back, now in my fighting stance. With the fire of my earlier fury, I threw a solid uppercut into his diaphragm. When he curled around the pain, I twisted and smashed my elbow into the side of his head. He reeled and landed on the ground. As he fell, his tent rushed to surround him, and mine engulfed me. Before he could stand, my tent began pulling me to the exit, our destination, the tent. The fire of his kiss still burned over my skin, and I saw him sit up. His eyes flashed to mine, and I registered with a thrill of fear, the heat of a challenge in his eyes.

--

Angrily, I collapsed on my cot, punching the sides of it. X sat on the cot next to mine, waiting for me to stop. When I finally rolled to my back, I saw the guys sitting on the cots around me.

"What happened?" Was the quiet question from X.

"I don't know."

"Go through the situation," Armpit put in, "from the second you stood up until the second you were out the door."

Staring at the ceiling, I recounted the situation, "Okay, I stood, started walking over, and then he got too close. He smacked my backside-"

"Lucky bastard," Squid muttered.

Gently, as a reminder, I punched his thigh and went on.

"--So I punched him. Then he said he liked feisty girls and kissed me. So I knocked him on his butt and you guys got me out of there."

They were pretty quiet and Zig Zag spoke, "This isn't over," he looked at me and squeezed my arm gently; "Watch out, he'll be after you."

Squid sniggered, "You're paranoid Zig."

Magnet agreed, "Yeah, no one comes after Bee after she trashes them."

"I dunno, he seems different." X was thinking aloud.

"Don't worry Fly; we'll protect you whether or not he does."

I smiled up at Armpit, then moved my gaze to Zero, "What do you think?"

Suddenly the group was holding their breath and Zero met my eyes, "I think you need to stay on your toes."

I nodded, and the group was shifting uncomfortably. No matter how much they made fun of Zero, he didn't talk for just anything; well, at least he didn't around them. When he spoke, it was important. I stared back at the ceiling and sensed everyone's unease. One thing kept playing through my mind so I said it, "If only he wasn't so hot."

They laughed for a solid ten minutes, and when they finally recovered, Magnet gasped in mock anger, "What, you don't think I'm sexy Bee?"

I grinned and Armpit swatted him, "Of course not, she's obsessed with the real man of the tent."

"You mean me?" Zig asked, and everyone laughed as Armpit put him in a head lock. They spent a long time going on like that, and finally they tried to guess my type.

A pair of fingers tugged at my hair, "I know, he cuts his own hair."

"No, he smacks her on the ass and threatens her virginity."

"Get real; her type is the kind that'll beat her up."

I was shaking my head at each one, so they were not above begging. Magnet tried, "Come on chiquita, tell us!"

I sighed, "If you're gonna know, you've got to figure it out."

They sat in solemn thought and Squid spoke up a while later, "One that dominates you."

They all looked expectantly for my head shake, and were shocked when I nodded. "What does that even mean?" Zig asked.

I took a deep breath and attempted to put my thoughts into an order.

"Well, you know how I dominated you guys? And how you know I'd beat you if you did anything wrong. So you don't do anything wrong and I don't have to beat you, and we get along?"

They nodded, and I jumped into the deep end of the pool, I was in on faith now.

"In a way, I want to feel completely helpless against him, but unwilling to resist. I want to trust him completely, and for him to dominate me entirely."

Magnet's mouth quirked up, "You want him to beat you if you touch him?"

The boys laughed.

"No, but I want to feel, I dunno, like I have no choice but to trust him."

A lazy round of applause began from the front of our tent, and our heads whipped to the noise. My eyes zeroed in on the new boy. His black eyes seemed to stare into my very soul again.

"I wouldn't have you pegged for that kinda girl Butterfly."

My boys were as stunned as I was, we couldn't move a collective muscle.

"But I promise you, if it's dominating you want, you won't find it here. If you get tired of mediocrity, my tent's only three thataways."

My heart pounded twice, and the boys sprang into action. They were all on their feet within a couple of seconds, and their hands clenched into fists. X went chest to chest with him, but the new guy was easily a head taller than him. Carelessly, he glanced down and X spoke, "You best get out of here before you get a beat down your fleas will feel."

Ignoring X, he met my eyes and I took a breath unconsciously, straining for his scent, "If you need me, my name is Beast. See ya around Ladybug." He finally left the doorway to our tent, and I was aware of my racing heart. I didn't know what was wrong with me; I'd never reacted to anyone this way, and I'd rolled around on the ground with my fair share of attractive men. Only in grappling practice of course; I wasn't that kind of girl. The guys turned, and I knew that Zero's observant eyes caught the flush of my cheeks. Luckily, the lights clicked off at that moment, and they didn't get a chance to question me. I laid in my bed staring wide eyed at the ceiling. How was it that a guy I didn't even like could freeze me with merely a glance into my eyes? It was terrifying, and exhilarating, and I fell into a deep, restless sleep.

--

**Whew, another chapter already? This is my fifth chapter, and guess what? I only have 14 reviews! My stats thingie says that I've had over 100 readers!! It's getting close to 200! And only 14 reviews? Come on guys, just press the little blue button, and tell me if you love or hate my story!!**

**Please?**

**Em**

**Ps: I'd like to thank my four faithful reviewers, especially the lovely and talented paddawhump! **


	6. Girl Next Door

I woke up instantly now

**Hello lovelies! I am ecstatic to present to you chapter six! Yay! Anyways, happy reading!**

--

I woke up instantly now. I rolled out of my cot and straightened up, neglecting my bindings for the day. We were going through an especially hot spell, and the extra layer was only annoying. I zipped up my jumpsuit then sat and pulled my boots on. Tired, we exited the tent into the early morning darkness, still rubbing our eyes. Breakfast rolled smoothly, as I was so tired that I failed to remember the new arrival, and the strange attraction I had to him. The morning was routine. We went to the library, and I elbowed my way through the crowd to get the shorter shovel. It was ¾ of an inch smaller than all of the others. Shorter shovel meant less dirt. Normally, X hassled us for the shovel, but I wasn't in the mood this morning. He opened his mouth, and I glared at him. Wisely, he shut his mouth, and we began walking. Mom showed us our dig site, and with full canteens, we started digging. It was only half an hour until the sun rose, but in that time I had a good six inches done already. I was well on my way to being a faster digger than Zero, but I needed more water breaks than him. I usually finished less than an hour after him anyways. During the time I'd spent there, they'd worn me down, and now I sang for them every day. True to form, I began singing early on, though this song was one of my own inventions. I hadn't worked out the verses yet, but the chorus was replaying over and over again in my head. I let my imagination come up with the tune, and soon I was working on a few verses. The guys were used to it; I usually made up songs for them, having run out of new ones to sing.

"Redeem Me

Forgive me

I'm so sorry,

If I could take it back I would

Every night I think of you,

You're starring in my dreams

Redemption

Redemption."

When I'd completed a foot, I took a break for some water, and then started digging again. "Okay guys, I'm taking requests now."

There was silent, just rhythmic breathing in time with shoveling noise, and X made the first request. The requests usually worked their way down the water line, and each one wanted a different song, though they knew I usually only knew their choruses. I would sing the broken ones a few times, and the ones I remembered fully once.

"Down to the river."

I smiled, for I had known he'd pick this. It had a gospel feel, and was deep enough where my voice got throaty to accommodate it.

"When I went down to the river to pray,

Studying about that good old way,

And who shall wear the starry crown,

Oh lord, show me the way.

Oh brother's let's go down,

Let's go down,

Come on down

Oh brothers let's go down,

Down to the river to pray."

That was all I knew, so I sang it twice, and soon Armpit called out his choice. "The one with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum."

This one was from a musical I'd been in at one point in time, and I absolutely loved it,

"The daisy mugged the brother's tweedle dum and Dee,

They rolled right out of there and played, Parcheesi

You've gotta act you've gotta choose

Decide and decree

Hey hey babe, you've got responsibility."

That was the largest segment I could remember, but I wove it in with other fragments I remembered of the song, and put in words that rhymed. I sang it a couple times as well, and he applauded loudly from his hole. Squid didn't always ask for a song, but today he wanted to hear the one by Fergie, Big Girls Don't Cry. A few guys heckled him for the choice, but I ignored them. Softly, I hummed the beginning, and then burst into one of my better songs.

"The smell of your skin lingers, on me now.

You're probably on your flight back to your hometown

I need some shelter of my own protection baby

And I foresee the dark ahead, if I stay.

I hope you know, I hope you know

That this has nothing to do with you

It's personal myself and I,

We've got some straightening out to do

And I'm gonna miss you

Like a child missing his blanket

And I've gotta get a move on with my life,

It's time to be a big girl now,

And big girls don't cry." I sang the rest of the song leaning against the edge of the hole. The shoveling was interrupting the beautiful song. When it faded from the air, the guys were quiet, save digging noises, until Magnet called out his song of choice, "Cuba libre."

He knew I only knew the chorus, but I'd remembered a few lines from the beginning and decided to sing them to surprise him. He hooted with joy, and then sang along with the chorus.

"Quiero, mi Cuba libre,

Pa que la gente pueda,

Pa que la gente pueda bailar.

Quiero, mi Cuba libre,

Pa que la gente pueda,

Pa que la gente pueda bailar."

This time all of the guys clapped and Magnet did a comical bow from his hole. Ziggy said he'd pass, and Zero requested my favorite song ever, the one he knew I loved. I decided it was an excellent time to take a break, and leaned on the ground outside of my hole. By now, I had three feet done, and judging by the sun, the lunch truck was about due. We'd already gotten the water truck, in between Armpit and Squid's songs.

"Small town homecoming queen,

She's the star of this scene,

There's no way to deny she's lovely.

Perfect skin, perfect hair,

Perfumed hearts everywhere

I tell myself that inside she's ugly,

Maybe I'm just jealous,

I can't help but hate her

Secretly I wonder if my boyfriend wants to date her

"She is the prom queen,

I'm in the marching band

She is a cheer leader,

I'm sitting in the stands

She gets the top bunk,

I'm sleeping on the floor,

She's Miss America,

And I'm just the girl next door."

The guys were sitting on their dirt piles now, watching me sing.

"Senior class president,

She must be heaven sent

She was never the last one standing"

Here I improvised a few of the words; I could never remember the right two.

"Really sheik, debutante,

Everything that you want

Never too harsh or too demanding

Okay I'll admit it,

I'm a little bitter,

Everybody loves her

But I just want to hit her

"She is the prom queen,

I'm in the marching band

She is a cheer leader,

I'm sitting in the stands

She gets the top bunk,

I'm sleeping on the floor,

She's Miss America,

And I'm just the girl next door."

I glanced around as I caught my breath, and noticed a few of them swaying to the song.

"I don't know why I'm feeling sorry for myself

I spend all my time wishing that I was someone else.

She is the prom queen,

I'm in the marching band

She is a cheer leader,

I'm sitting in the stands.

I get a little bit,

She gets a little more

She's Miss America,

She's Miss America,

And I'm just the girl next door."

I received thunderous applause from my six audience members, and now the lunch truck was in sight. Grateful, I chugged the remainder of my water and Ziggy pulled himself out of his hole and sat next to me, "How come you're so much better at that song than the other ones?"

I laughed, "Are you saying I'm not good at the other ones?"

He realized his mistake and backpedaled, "No, you're great, but you seem so much better than your usual perfection when you sing that."

He seemed pleased with his careful wording and I chuckled, "Ya see Zig, I love that song. I love it because I feel like I can relate to it. Therefore, it means more to me, and I put emotion into it, which means it sounds better. Okay?"

He nodded, but Magnet spoke up, "What do you mean relate? To the cheerleader right?"

For that I smacked him upside the head and everyone laughed. Like I'd ever be a cheerleader. Mr. Sir had brought us our lunch today; we took our lunch quickly, and we sat down together to eat. I had just about forgotten about the question, but Armpit brought me back to it, "Answer the question."

I sighed and swallowed my food, "I feel like the girl next door when I'm at home." The group was silent for a few minutes; everyone was too hungry to have a proper conversation, but finally Squid broke into the conversation, or, lack thereof.

"Why?"

I shrugged and sipped some water, "I don't quite fit in with other girls."

Magnet looked confused, "But why?"

I sighed, but X beat me to it, "Well duh. If she gets along with us this well, it means she doesn't hang out with girls much, probably because she's too busy fighting."

I nodded and he grinned with triumph. "About right. I don't regret it for a second though. I love fighting. Sometimes though, I think I'm not feminine enough."

They scoffed, and Armpit spoke up, "Hon, trust us, you are definitely feminine enough."

"Really?"

"Really. Gents, how many times a week would you say you have a wet dream about this young lady?"

I cringed, but cringed worse at the answer. The answer was a nearly unanimous five nights and up. Zero didn't answer the question, and neither did X.

"I didn't need to hear that. Get outta my hole; I have two feet left to dig."

They cleared out, grumbling about the heat. I tried to smile at their answer, they were just trying to be sweet, and it wasn't their fault they didn't know how to be.

We were pretty quiet for a while, after all, it was the hottest part of the day, and everyone knew that it wasted energy to sing, they weren't gonna ask me for it. When I finally finished digging, I dragged myself out of my hole and sat on the edge, reveling in the endorphins that digging brought me. I took a deep sip out of my canteen, and leaned back, "Okay guys, one more song before I go. Which one?"

They all shouted over each other and I sighed, "Okay, I'll pick."

They settled down and I started singing,

"Kiss me too fiercely,

Hold me too tight

I need help believing

You're with me tonight

My wildest dreamings

Could not foresee

Lying beside you

With you wanting me

Just for this moment,

As long as you're mine

I'll wake up my body

And cross some borderlines

And if it turns out,

It's over too fast,

I'll make every last moment last

Just for this moment."

I took a breath, and sipped a sip of water, letting the whole musical break play before I opened my eyes. Usually I sang the male part too, because my voice could reach just low enough to hit the notes. I opened my mouth, but someone else's voice slipped in and started singing.  
"Maybe I'm brainless,

Maybe I'm wise

But you've got me seeing

Through different eyes

Somehow I've fallen under your spell

And somehow I'm feeling

It's up that I fell

Just for this moment

As long as you're mine

I'll wake up my body

And make up for lost time

Borrow the moonlight,

Until it is through,

And know I'll be here wanting you."

I turned to face the voice, and my eyes widened in shock when I saw Beast leaning against his shovel with a sly grin on his face.

"You sing!"

He didn't respond to my comment, instead he commented on my singing, "I didn't figure you were into singing Ladybug, but if you're good at something, I guess you would be into it."

I barely registered his compliment, I was so shocked. He could sing? There was no possible way.

"Heading back to camp?"

I nodded, making my mind up to throw my brick wall back up. I'd had just about enough of this weakness crap.

"Me too."

He held out a hand to hoist me to my feet. I glanced at my boys, and saw no help from them. When I met Armpit's eyes, he nodded. I grabbed Beast's hand, and he pulled me to my feet, a little too hard. It seemed like slow motion to me. I fell into his chest, and his scent filled my nostrils. The masculine aroma filled me to the brim, and I felt every cell of my body crying out for him. Trying to recover my composure, I tried to scoot away from him, but he pulled me to his body, staring into my eyes. Before he could try to kiss me, I kneed him in the groin, hard. The guys laughed, and I picked up my shovel and canteen, then started walking back to camp, a swing in my step.

--

**Hahahaha! I know this chapter is mostly filler; I was struck with inspiration for the next chapter halfway through, so I didn't know what to do with this one. Beast can sing? Gasp! Just a poll real quick, what does everyone think of Beast?**

**Okay, perhaps many of you know the author Queen Bee's story "Poison Ivy"? Well, there is a new character in her story loosely based off of Lacey! She's actually made several appearances already, so go read it! I'm psyched!**

**You know the drill, please review! If you took this long to read my entire story, you can take another thirty seconds and review, it's not hard. I know it's not.**

**Have a good day!**

**Em.**


	7. Enjoying the View?

**Hello everybody! Before I start, I just wanted to say a big thanks to Paddawhump for fixing all of the errors in my story. I'm sure there were many, but she doesn't complain, just goes into it with a machete and hacks all the bad stuff out. Also, thanks to everyone that told me exactly what they thought of Lacey's little Beastie! It was so fun to hear what everyone thought. Enjoy!**

--

The sun beat down on me, and I could see the heat waves shimmering over the parched ground. I heard Beast's hurried footsteps behind me, and soon he was walking next to me. For the moment, there was a breeze, and I was upwind. For this I was grateful. We walked in silence while he took a sip of water, then he broke our silence, "How'd you get here?"

"I took a school bus."

He laughed, "No, what'd you do to get sent here?"

I didn't particularly want to let him in, but he was irresistible. His eyes bore into my face, willing me to look at him, but I didn't. Instead I answered the question, "A man jumped me, so I beat him up, put him in the ICU, and the jury sent me here."

He whistled, "What'd you do to him?"

Calmly, I listed off the injuries. Each one brought back the memories, of the court, of the street, neither one mattered: they both came to me. "Five broken ribs, a broken tailbone, cracked skull, bruised throat, cracked larynx, broken nose, bruised groin, punctured eyeball, and collapsed sinuses."

His voice was reverent, "Whoa."

I could tell he was imagining how I could have possibly caused all of those injuries, and he spoke again, "What'd you think he was gonna do?"

"I thought he would rape me."

My voice wavered on the words, and I was disgusted by the weakness in my voice. He was quiet, and I wondered if he could tell. Of course, I wasn't about to ask him, that would give it away completely.

"Do you wanna know how I got here?"

I did, I really did. But again, I was supposed to be aloof, cold, and impenetrable. "No."

He chuckled, and I ached at the sound. He was gorgeous in every way. I was avoiding his eyes already, and his body. I was so attracted to him, it was unbelievable. The breeze changed suddenly, and his scent filled my nostrils. Arousal exploded in me, and I clenched my hand tighter over my shovel, watching the knuckles pale. The scars on my knuckles lit up when I did this, showing white. He noticed.

"What did you do to your hands?"

"Nothing. I fight a lot."

It was silent for a minute, I think, but it seemed like so much longer. Finally he broke the silence, "I'm here for a lot of stuff. Grand theft auto, shoplifting, underage drinking, assault, and statutory rape."

My chest tightened with fear, and I felt my breaths start to come faster and shorter. Fighting to keep my voice casual, I put in a sentence, "Oh yeah?"

My voice was shaking, and he stopped to meet my eyes. I stopped too, looked into his eyes, truly afraid. We held the stare for what seemed an eternity, and then he kept walking, eyes soft. "Yeah. I had sex with a sixteen year old. I'm eighteen."

The cold knot of dread loosened, and I found my voice. A kernel of anger was building, why would he take advantage of a sixteen year old? I walked a little faster, my eyes on the ground, "Was she a girlfriend?"

He shook his head, a humorless smile on his face, "No. I was slammed with tequila, I can't even remember it. I remember meeting her and her saying she was nineteen. After that it's a blur until I woke up in bed with her, and her parents started screaming at me. That was the final straw."

We were silent for a good five minutes while I processed the information and the emotions I felt. She had taken advantage of him. Oddly, I was relieved, and pleased a little. I could only think of one thing to say, "That sucks."

"I know. That's one that goes on my record for life."

I cringed, and then thought of something. Quietly, I wondered aloud, though the first half of the thought was still in my head. Could he be trying to get me into bed? "Is he lying to me?"

He stopped dead in his tracks, and grabbed my shoulders roughly. He turned me to face him and I looked up into his onyx eyes, "I would never lie to you, Butterfly."

I swatted his hands away, and we walked the rest of the way to camp in silence. It was kind of pleasant to walk with someone, and I was glad we could walk without fighting. Or maybe not. Before I slipped into my tent, he smacked my backside, and winked. I turned around, speechless with fury, but he was too far away by the time I could move again. Angrily, I stormed up the stairs to the tent, and found Zero lying on his bed.

"Beast?"

I nodded, not trusting my mouth with words right now.

"Was he bugging you?"

I burst out, nearly shouting, "Yes! That jerk thinks he can just go for a casual grope without consequences! What a pain in the neck!"

Zero cracked a smile, "What's the catch?"

I collapsed on my cot, "I am so attracted to him. It's not fair!"

Zero laughed, "Let's go shower."

I grabbed my shower gear, and my extra set of clothes, and followed him out to the showers. Like the gentleman he was, he let me go first, and I stood bare under the icy water. Never did icy water feel any better than it did at the end of a long day of digging. Diligently, I scrubbed every inch of my skin, working to get all of the dust out. When I finished, I pulled on my relaxation clothes, and stepped out of the showers to let Zero have his turn. I leaned against a pole, just looking into space, when a movement caught my attention. Tent A's flap opened, and Beast came out. For a second, I was blinded by the sun, but my eyes adjusted, and boy was I glad they had. Beast had a perfect body, absolutely lovely. His abs were tight, and formed a perfect 8 pack. His pectorals were sleek and defined, and I caught myself admiring his arms. He sauntered over, the muscles stretching and moving under his tan skin, and I think I drooled a little. Finally, I had some hard core eye candy. He stopped in front of me, face smug, "Enjoying the view?"

I shrugged, aiming for a nonchalant tone, "I've seen better." In all truth I hadn't, and he laughed. It was hard to stay focused with a body of this caliber staring me in the face. Interrupting my moment of floundering, Zero walked out of the showers, rubbing his fluffy hair with a towel. He raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed. I looked up again at Beast, and was instantly trapped in his eyes. Easily, with a smirk, he broke the hold he had over me, and sauntered into the showers, waving a lazy hand. To my delight, his back was just as defined as his front, and I could see all of his back muscles outlined under his tan skin. Zero chuckled, "Ready to go?"

"Please."

--

The whole night, nothing interesting happened until we got to the wreck room. There was a basketball court at Camp Green Lake. I never payed much attention to it. Although I was pretty good at basketball, and absolutely loved to play, I didn't want to play with these boys. There would be no joy of competition in it. If they won, they'd gloat, and say it wasn't my fault, after all, I was just a girl. And if I beat them, well, there would be much hatred. Today was different though. As we came to the court, I saw Beast facing off against Thlump, and my interest spiked. Intrigued, I leaned against the building, and settled in to watch. Most of my tent stayed with me, also interested in seeing what the newcomer could do. Someone tossed it up, and immediately Thlump had the ball. He started advancing at a pretty good pace, but quick as a flash; Beast darted in and stole the ball, charging at full speed to the opposite side of the court. At the basket, he jumped and slam dunked it, hanging off the rim for a second before he dropped. I was impressed, he was fast and strong. The game was long and fierce, but they played first to twenty, win by two, and Beast got it. He won by five. By the time they finished the game, the sun was starting to set, and his skin had a sheen of sweat. The light highlighted every contour of his chest, I was distracted. My tent soon started up a game of knockout and called me over to play.

I was up for it, the intense game left me aching to play, but this was the closest it would come. The boys were pretty good, but I was just as good. The last three were me, Magnet, and Squid. It was fierce; we each made every shot, until Squid missed one. Magnet tossed the ball to me, and I took careful aim, and shot, knocking Squid out. In quick succession, I made another, and I'd won. There was much patting on the back. Beast looked on with interest, but didn't say anything. In fact, he didn't speak to me for the rest of the night, and it seemed like things were back to normal at Camp Green Lake.

--

I woke with a struggle. A hand was over my mouth, and adrenaline shot through my bloodstream. My fists lashed out, and hit someone in their general torso area. One hand caught my wrists, and I struggled until a quiet voice interrupted me, "Jeez Ladybug. You've been awake for two seconds and you're already trying to beat me?"

Then I took a breath, and realized that it was Beast who had his hand over my mouth. He motioned for me to be quiet, and led me out of the tent. I waited until we were out of hearing range of my tent, and then hissed angrily, "Why the hell did you wake me up?"

He chuckled quietly, and the butterflies (no pun intended) fluttered in my stomach.

"I wanted to play you in a game of Pig."

I was flabbergasted, but my anger quickly replaced that. My voice rose two octaves, "You woke me up in the middle of the night, ruined a potential eight hours of sleep, to play a game of Pig?"

"Yes."

I shook my head wordlessly, but followed him to the court. There was one light on, and it filled the court with light. Easily, he bent for the orange ball, and dribbled it absently with his left hand. I catalogued that fact for reference. He turned to face me, and the heat in his eyes was intense, "Let's make this interesting."

"I'm listening."

"If you win, I'll stop randomly groping you."

I thought about the offer, pleased at the thought that I'd get reprieve. Of course, there was always a catch, "And if you win?"

He smirked, "I get to kiss you, without you smacking me."

I weighed the options. If I won, I could stop watching my back around him. I wouldn't have to worry about what I would do the next time he smacked my backside. On the other hand, if I lose, he'd kiss me. Though I wasn't entirely sure I didn't want to kiss him. In fact, I was pretty sure I did. His smile was sly now, and I wondered if he knew that both options seemed like winning to me. Still thinking, I lashed out and hit him hard in the side of the head. He reeled a little, "What was that for?"

"Earlier. You're on."

The game took a long time, and we each pulled out all the stops. I shot from tricky angles right underneath the basket when I had a choice, and he got two letters. He shot from far away, past the three point line. And he shot them with one hand, his left hand. I was a hopeless shooter with my left hand, and after he realized this, I was done for. He won. I sighed, and faced him, "Alright, let's get this over with."

He smiled, sly again, "Nope, I'm not going to kiss you right now. I'm going to save it, and wait until the moment is right. I'm going to surprise you. And if I kiss you and you hit me, I get to kiss you again, and I get to try until you don't hit me anymore."

He stepped close to me, and his scent washed over me. His eyes bored into mine, and I felt myself sway towards him like he had his own gravity. His smell was making my head spin and I could barely think straight. Slowly, he leaned in towards me, his mouth over mine, and my eyes fluttered shut. His finger touched my lips, and I opened my eyes to see a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Nope, I won't kiss you tonight, I'll wait."

Then he left me standing underneath the lights, staring after him. My body was crying out for him, and I ached to feel his arms around me, his lips on mine. I sighed and started the trek back to my tent, wondering how I felt like I'd lost, when both options were a win. I resolved not to make deals with him any more.

--

**Alright! How was it? You should really let me know. Wanna know why? Because then I'll write more, and I'll get to you quicker! Wouldn't that be fun? I know, so review! Also, thanks to all of my extremely faithful reviewers, I love you all!**

**Em.**


	8. A New Man

**Alright lovelies, here's the next chapter. First off, so very sorry I haven't posted a chapter in a ridiculous amount of time. Apologies. Second, you have no idea how many rewrites it took to write this chapter. Normally I write, then edit, but this thing took two re-writes, and tons of editing. So I sure hope you enjoy. Many thanks to Paddawhump, my favorite editor of all time. Love ya lots, and thanks again for telling me straight up that it didn't work. Enjoy.**

**--**

So basically, Camp Green Lake was my personal hell. The extreme boredom of digging holes every day was only made better by the toughening of my body. But of course, there was one thing that just screwed that up. Lacey. The girl was a siren, and utterly frustrating. She made it unbearable. In my life, I'd had plenty of girls. I was good looking, that I knew, and they just seemed to gravitate to me. Of course, then I'd been the top of the heap. Here, I was the newcomer. I'd changed my status marginally when I beat Thlump in basketball, but he was hardly a worthy challenge. All of the guys in my tent, except Spider, were idiots. They were the lowest of the low, attempted murder, rape, actual murder, and sexual harassment. Of course, I was in for statutory rape, so I don't get to complain.

Absently, I cast a glance at Lacey. We walked back together after digging. She was a quiet little thing, and my mind changed tracks. Why had I ever gone after those girls at home? I know they were my type at the time, but now I was a new man. I used to love the tiny girls. Sure they didn't have any breasts or ass, but they made me feel powerful, strong. They put a lot of effort into their appearance. They were stupid too. They were like sheep, and did whatever I asked of them. But like I said, I'm forever a new man. Lacey didn't fit into any of the specifications, except for 'damn hot'. She was tall; her head was at my shoulder. The way she carried herself was like a queen, and that made her seem even taller. I guessed her at 110 lbs, but judging by the muscle, she probably weighed more. Now I knew why some guys said they liked a little somethin' to hold on to. Damn.

Of course, this one was a challenge. When I touched her, she got angry. That was a new one. Better than getting angry though, she punished me with her fists. The first time I saw her, my eyes had landed on the appropriate body parts, but now, they covered her face as well, trying to unravel the thoughts and emotions they found. I cast a glance at her hair. Of course it would be my luck to get a redhead. Why not a blonde? They were more complacent. Heck, every girl but Lacey was complacent! When we passed her tent, she ducked inside, and I passed my usual feel on her ass. The smile she flashed was beautiful. I was grinning when I reached my tent. With a sigh I laid on my lame excuse for a bed and stretched my tired muscles out. Lacey always showered right away, and I didn't want to tempt myself. When the three minutes for her shower passed, I gathered my stuff.

--

Most people were tight with their tent. The tents hung out with each other, but I was an outsider. It didn't bother me of course. I didn't want to be friends with the scum that they were. Of course, Spider and I got along, but that's because he had been framed. He told me so. Not to mention, Easy and Thlump had a vendetta against Lacey. I didn't need to be around that, but I kept an ear out. Our tent went to the mess hall, waiting with the rest to go inside. My eyes found Lacey immediately.

"Dude, what kind of hold does that girl have over you?" Spider asked me quietly.

"Naw man, she doesn't have a hold over me. She's just a girl."

He laughed, "Sure. Have you seen her? That's a woman."

My eyes flicked back to her and ran up and down her figure. Spider grinned, "She's gorgeous."

I nodded, and then looked back to him, "Now you sound obsessed, man."

He laughed, "Man, she's the only girl in camp, and she's damn hot. What else would I think?"

Just then the doors opened and we streamed in, just behind tent D. Lacey was inside, tranquil, and pushing her tray along the counter. The way she was standing actually made me relax a little. Like she was radiating calm. I felt someone pass me, and saw Easy making a beeline for her. I took a step forward, but Spider's hand was on my shoulder, holding me back.

"Whoa man, just chill out."

I looked at him, agitated, "He's gonna do something to her! I can't just stand here!"

His answer was calm, and he stared me in the eyes when he said it, "She's a big girl; she can handle it herself."

I glanced over. Lacey was stiff, and Easy was at her back. She lowered her arms to her sides, "Hey Easy. What's shakin'?"

"Shut up whore." I stiffened when he said that, "You're a naughty little girl that beat me at pool, so I think a spanking is in order."

Lacey's eyes darted from side to side, then Easy's hand groped her roughly in between her legs. I saw red. The only thing holding me back was Spider. I turned to him, "Let me go!"

His eyes bored into mine with a clear 'no'. I turned to Lacey. By now, Easy was on the floor, and she was pounding her various appendages into any soft flesh she could find. A feral snarling was coming from her mouth. Okay, I know normally, it would be scary when a girl is that pissed, but Lacey is even hotter when she's mad. And the slow, deliberate way her body was moving was almost sensual. I shook myself out of the haze, and my rage began to grow. Everyone was shouting now, and Lacey was still pounding furiously into him. I watched as four, not one, not two, not three, but four, of Lacey's tent mates pulled her off of him. They were shouting as she thrashed in their arms, bucking wildly, hissing like an animal. It took her a long time to calm down. I strode forward and pulled the bastard to his feet. Slowly, he wiped the blood off his face with one hand, then held out the other to shake my hand, "Thanks man."

That did it for me. I hauled back with a left hook straight into the side of his head. He went flying. Then, I started shouting. Of course, my brain didn't catch up with my mouth until I was halfway through the sentence, "You don't touch her! She is mine! If you touch her again, I'll shove my shovel so far up your ass, you won't be able to sit for the rest of your life. That goes for everyone!"

Lacey hissed behind me and I turned. Her eyes were ablaze with fury, and her lip was curled in a snarl, "I don't belong to anyone."

Her eyes were angry, but her body language said something a little different. I couldn't interpret it, but I stepped closer. Someone had let go of her right arm, and now it jabbed towards me, but I caught it. I'd anticipated this. I pulled it down, and gently stroked along her cheekbone with my other hand. "Oh really?"

She snarled again, and thrashed towards me, eyes wild. Her tent had her suspended again, and her struggles were fruitless. Still furious, she whipped her head around to X. "Let me down," she hissed. He didn't move, just stood with his arms crossed. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and he nodded to the boys holding her up. They let her down, and once her feet touched the floor, she straightened up. Her green eyes met mine, still blazing with fury, "I despise you."

The words were a blow, and we both knew it. I knew they were words spoken in anger, and they probably didn't mean shit, but they hurt all the same. With that, she turned on her heel, and stormed out of the dining hall, though it looked like she was walking on a runway. The door slammed, and her tent scrambled to grab some food before they followed her out. Mr. Sir burst into the dining hall looking a little panicked. He stopped over the groaning Easy, "Who did this?"

I stepped forward, "Me."

Everyone's head turned to look at me. I knew several jaws were on the ground. Mr. Sir snarled, "You, you, you, and you, take Easy to the first aid tent. And you-" he pointed at me, "you're coming with me."

Anxious and edgy, I followed. He was heading straight for the warden's house. Now I was even more nervous. Still fuming, Mr. Sir knocked on the door. Footsteps came from inside, and the door was flung open. The woman standing there could have been Lacey's mother. Their hair was the same shade, but the warden's was a little blonder.

"What?"

Mr. Sir pushed me forward a little, "This girl scout pounded the crap out of Easy."

"Excuse me? You brought him to me for a measly little fight?"

Mr. Sir was uncomfortable now, "Well, it was far from measly, Easy looks like he got hit by some sort of truck."

The warden was scowling now, "Do I care? Take him to Pendanski."

I was shocked. I would get off scot free? Cool. I hadn't anticipated that. With final words of warning, she closed the door. Mr. Sir led me down the steps, "You watch yourself. I've got my eyes on you."

I nodded, then shook my arm loose. I only had eyes for Lacey's tent. I walked over there, heart in my throat, and pushed the tent flap away. Six heads whipped towards the entrance. Lacey was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. When I moved to take a step inside, the boys swarmed, blocking my path.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on her."

X pushed me a little, "She doesn't want to see you. If she did, she would have asked."

Now I was a little angry, "Please? I just need to see if she's okay."

X opened his mouth to tell me to beat it.

"No X, it's alright, let him in."

This was Lacey's soft command, and I stepped in. Never mind the angry looks from the boys around me, I only had eyes for her. X hovered near me, as did the others, ready to muscle me out the door. Lacey was still staring at the ceiling, "I need to speak with him privately."

"Are you sure?" Was X's gentle question. Lacey nodded, and everyone filed out of the tent, leaving just us. My heart was pounding now, and I walked over to sit on the bunk next to hers. Slowly, she righted herself, and sat facing me, feet on the floor, and staring at her shoes. Before I spoke, I realized that she was trembling.

"Butterfly, are you okay?"

She didn't look at me, she shook her head. Her hands were trembling harder, and her shoulders were shaking. Firmly, I tilted her chin up, and saw the unspilled tears in her eyes. "Ah Lace."

She blinked, and a tear slipped down her cheek. Unable to bear it anymore, I stood and pulled her to my chest. As soon as her face was buried in my chest, she dissolved into long, tearful sobs. Feeling a little awkward but wanting to give her comfort, I stroked her hair. The thought of how nice her body felt pressed against mine passed into my head unbidden. Worried, I banished it. I didn't need that thought right now. It was then I became aware of just how much her body was trembling. She must have been frightened.

My eyes widened, and a fact from a biology class I'd taken appeared in my head, '_scared_ _animals are more dangerous than angry ones_'. She'd beaten him better than she'd ever beaten me. And come to think of it, when I'd said statutory rape, there had been an irregularity in her gait, her breath. She was afraid of rapists! I wanted to smack myself on the forehead. The whole time, I'd been working backwards from my goal. Eventually, her shaking subsided, and her sobs quieted. Gently, she pushed on my chest, and I let her go. The look on her face was calm, and her eyes were bright from crying. Her lips were red. Without thinking, I swooped down and kissed her on the mouth. Her lips were warm and soft. How in hell did a girl keep her lips soft in the desert? A fist collided with my head, and I stood up, smiling a little at her scowl. "Get the guys, and leave."

"Alright Ladybug. Anything for you."

The guys were practically pressing their ears to the tent, desperately trying to overhear. When I came out, I motioned them in, and then started ambling back to my tent.

Another one of my specifications when I'd been at home had been simply, 'don't get attached'. After all, I was a one night stand kind of guy. I'd had girlfriends, but none lasted very long. And there had been plenty of sex buddies along the way. But like I said, I was a new man.

--

**So how did everyone enjoy hearing things from beast's perspective for once? I hope it changed your opinion of him at least a little, in a good way. Let me know, and if everyone liked the change of pace, maybe more beast chapters will be in the works soon…**

**Em.**


	9. Heat

**Hello everyone! I'm gonna try and get the chapters out quicker to you. First off, I was glad to hear the positive response to beast's chapter, and I'll probably be writing more from his perspective because everyone liked it.**

**As always, many thanks to paddawhump, and to her, i apologize for not working on the metaphor more, i just wanted it to get out there because this weekend is busy for me.**

**anyways, Enjoy!**

**--**

The days passed by quickly, and they settled into a new rhythm. Occasionally the rhythm skipped a beat, but it was relaxing. I noticed that our hot spell hadn't let up, and I wished fervently I had some way to relieve the heat. My hair was even longer, and I knew by the digital watch I kept in my back pack that I only had one month left in my sentence. Now that the end was approaching for me, some of the guys had left already. None of the ones in my tent, they all stayed, but boys in other tents. I watched them leave with a kind of wistful nostalgia, and wished that I could be like them. Beast still hadn't kissed me (on his terms), and the anticipation, the waiting, made the desire to have him kiss me sharp and painful. Eventually, I'd let him in a little, but I still beat on him whenever he touched me. It was a strange feeling, wanting to kiss him so badly, but still beating him whenever he came close. One day, the rhythm changed again, but not because of any person. Nope, this one was a blast from home. Beast dropped me off at the tent, and I went inside, my eyes taking in Zero's familiar form, then something unfamiliar on my bed. It was a package, and I was immediately excited,

"Hey! A package!"

I rushed to it, and pulled it onto my lap, bouncing with excitement. Zero sat on the bed across from me, and I pulled the flaps open on the top. There was a letter, and I picked it up, wondering who had sent it to me.

"_Hey Lacey, how are you? Sorry none of us have written at all, but life's been crazy here. We all miss you at the dojo, and us teachers wish you were here to whip the new kids into shape. They're getting pretty sassy. Anyways, we just wanted to write and say that we miss you, and hope you're still getting ready for that fight; it's been postponed to a month after your return._

_Always, _

_Pat, Bert, Kirk, and Brian."_

My eyes watered a little as I read it, then I picked up the letter under that; this one had my mother's handwriting on the envelope. The back had a kiss mark with her lipstick, and my vision was blurry for a moment as I opened it:

"_Lacey, I miss you so much. I've been trying to send letters to you, but I haven't heard from you, so I guess they haven't gotten through. I just wanted to wish you a happy 18__th__ birthday and send you a little something for your birthday. Your father and I miss you so much, and hope that you've been having a good time at camp. I hope you've been keeping those boys in line and haven't been letting them pick on you. Enjoy your present! Love Mom."_

I hugged the letter to my chest, and tore open the tissue paper that it had been on. Speechless, I pulled out a white bikini top, then a white bikini bottom. There were also black ones too, and I punched my fist in the air, "Yes!"

Zero raised an eyebrow, "You're excited because you can go swimming now?"

I smacked him on the back of the head, "No, I'm excited because now I can get a decent tan, and I don't have to worry about boys peeking on me in the shower."

He shrugged, "Shower time, let's go."

I hugged the black bikini to my chest, "Can you guard the door? I want to change into this first."

He nodded, "Alright."

Quickly I changed, and then hoped I looked okay: I didn't have a mirror to look at. I pulled my towel over my shoulder and grabbed my soap, then exited the tent. Zero didn't seem too surprised, but I guessed that was because he saw me as a friend, and not necessarily a mate. We went to the showers, and for the first time, went in together. It was pretty normal, we talked while we were showering and soaping, and I was enjoying the company, and my swim suit. Footsteps were approaching, and suddenly they stopped at the entrance to the showers. Beast was there, eyes wide, and taking in every inch of my newly bared skin. Remembering his comment a month ago, I put my hand on my hip, "Enjoying the view?"

Instead of the line I was expecting, he looked straight into my eyes, "Yes. Very much so."

I blushed a little, and then tilted my head back to let the ice cold water pour onto me, enjoying its relief. He sighed, then went out of the showers, and waited for us to finish. As we left, I thought I saw a suspicious bulge in the lower half of his coverall, but I looked away, stifling a grin.

--

Ziggy's reaction was probably the most satisfying. Everyone told me it looked good, but when he entered the tent, he dropped his canteen on the ground and stared with his mouth open. Grinning, I spoke up, "Careful Zig, you're gonna catch flies."

He shut his mouth and gulped comically, "Uh, I'm gonna go shower."

"You do that."

Quickly, he darted in and grabbed his stuff, then ran out. I laughed along with X Ray and Armpit, and then went back to dozing. As soon as I was dry, I pulled my jumpsuit back on, feeling content for the first time in a while. Although Ziggy's reaction was satisfying, I was more pleased with Beast's.

--

Again I woke in the dark with Beast's hand over my mouth. This time around, I didn't panic; I just rolled out of my bed and followed him out of the tent. He was silent, and he didn't look at me once. I was a little worried that he was angry with me, when we finally reached the court. Again, he picked up the ball, and dribbled it absently. Smoothly, he shot, and the ball went in. He went to get it, and I took my place on the free throw line. Still quiet, he passed to me, and I shot, swish swish. I went to get it then, and passed it to him. He shot, and I went to shoot. The rhythm continued for a long time, and finally he caught the ball, and held it. I met his eyes, and I saw they were dark with some emotion. He dropped the ball and strode over to me, standing just inches away. He stared into my eyes for a long moment and finally spoke, "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

Well, this was a surprise. I shook me head, tiniest of smiles curling my lips. His eyes darkened further, and roughly he grabbed me with both hands around my hips. Quickly he pulled my hips against his, and I felt the bulge that was there. Now I knew what the emotion was, it was lust. His face was dark, facing away from the light, but I knew he was staring at my face, "That is what you do to me. Without the bikini."

Realization dawned, and I half smiled, "Good. We're even then."

With a growl, he pulled my body flush against his, face hovering dangerously close over mine, "Do you want me to kiss you?"

I hesitated, though I couldn't think. His scent was making me lightheaded, and I nodded.

"Good."

Then he bent over, and pressed a kiss on my neck. I shivered involuntarily, the lips against my throat making my lust flare brighter than a sun. He traced a path with his lips, teeth and tongue, up my neck to just under my ear. Gently he took my earlobe between his teeth and sucked, nipping it just a little too hard. I cried out with the pleasure, and felt his smirk. My eyes were closed, and I felt him continue the path along my cheek until he reached the corner of my lips. I turned my face towards his lips, desperately in need of his lips on mine, but it didn't come. I opened my eyes to his calm face, whimpering to convey my emotions. He grabbed my hips, and pulled them in tightly, and the bulge against me only heightened my arousal. He bent back and nipped my earlobe for good measure, "Not tonight. I think you need to wait a little longer."

I growled at this, and bucked my hips into his. A hiss sounded through his teeth, but he pushed me gently from him, "Not tonight beautiful."

My breath hitched with the force of my sudden emotion, and he bent down to place a kiss on my forehead. My eyes closed when his lips touched me, and then he pulled away, "Good night Lacey."

My eyes widened in shock, and I watched him walk away for the second time. When my legs were finally able to move, and my face had cooled from the flush of arousal, I trekked back to the tent, ready to fall asleep, and ready to cry with the heat of my longing.

--

**Many thanks to my faithful reviewers, they keep me alive! And I'd like to comment on an interesting phenomenon. Something like ten readers have this story on alert, but only like, two of them review. Please. Give me a break. Surely, if you go to read it when it comes in, you can press that lovely lavender button that's right there. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! Review!**

**Em.**


	10. Barely Even Friends

**Hello everybody. It is good to see you. Seriously, I have a stats thingy that tells me how many people read my story. So hello! Have you ever thought about reviewing? Anyways, thanks again to my editor, the mysterious and mystical paddawhump. Normally, I thank her for her brilliant notes and edits, and today, I thank her for every one of her helpful little comments, from the very start. She's actually the reason I'm getting this chapter out so quickly. So enjoy, and leave a review to thank her.**

**--**

I had been excused from digging a hole today. It was the day before my departure of Camp Green Lake, and they wanted me to pack, shower, and get ready to go, because they wanted me to look like I hadn't spent the last six months digging holes in the hot Texas desert. Like always, I hadn't listened to them. I wasn't going to sit in the tent. I took the trek out to the dig site for the last time. I donned my white bikini, and my coveralls, unzipping them to my hips, and letting the rest hang. I'd gotten a really good tan while I was here, and today I wanted to work on it.

The guys were unusually quiet, they knew I was leaving, and I was surprised to be sad that I was going home. I would miss them, Armpit, X-Ray, Zero, Squid, Zig Zag, Magnet, and of course, Beast. I walked out with them, and leaned against the shovel I'd swiped from the library. I started digging with them, but I didn't focus on size, I was focused on singing. Today was the last day at Camp Green Lake, and the boys had told me they would miss my voice. So today I would sing every song I knew, over and over again for a very long time.

By lunch, I had three feet done, my regular, and Mom gave me a meal. After we ate, I kept digging, but I didn't stop at five feet. I climbed out of my hole, and into Squid's. He was the slowest digger in the tent, so I started digging with him, singing all the while. When he was done, only Zig Zag and Magnet were left, so I climbed into Ziggy's hole to help him. When we finally finished, the sun was a lot lower in the sky than it normally was for me.

We walked back together in complete silence. When I finally made it back, I realized none of my cabin had showered yet. They'd been waiting for me. I picked up my relaxation set of clothes, and walked to the shower with them. We stripped down together, and I noticed that they were remarkably good at keeping their eyes where they should be. We showered in solemn silence until they started a contest to see who was bigger. It was then that I smacked them all, and finished my shower.

A-Tent was sitting inside their tent, and I couldn't see Beast. In fact, we hadn't spoken for the last three days. I wanted to talk to him, but knew he wouldn't talk unless he wanted to. So I left him alone, and mourned from a distance. I went back to the tent and packed all of my stuff, including my bikini, and the belt I'd been using during the day to hold my coveralls at my hips. I pulled out a baggie of twelve tokens I'd been saving, and slipped two onto each boy's cot. I searched for a song to describe the pain I was feeling, but could find none.

When the boys entered the tent, still a little damp, I had everyone write out their full name, their nickname, phone number, address, and email address. I wanted to write them when they got out of here. My time at Camp Green Lake, I knew, had changed me fundamentally. We just sat and talked for a while, then went to dinner. During the meal, I tried vainly to catch Beast's eye, but he wasn't looking at me. He didn't even look at our table.

I think it broke my heart that he wasn't looking at me. It was like he wanted nothing to do with me, and I thought sadly about how he never had kissed me. Our time in the wreck room passed quickly too, though the room was strangely quiet. I realized it was because they were all sad I was leaving, and I felt warmth for the boys I'd spent my six months with. Beast still hadn't looked at me, and we all traipsed back to the tent, quiet with our grief. Before we went to sleep, the boys begged for one last song, so I sang them what I could remember of Vanessa Carlton's "1000 Miles."

"Making' my way down town,

Walking fast,

Faces pass,

And I'm homebound.

Just staring blankly ahead

Making my way

Making my way through the crowd

And I need you

And I miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall, into the sky

Do you think time,

Would pass me by,

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you

Tonight

It's always times like these

When I think of you

And I wonder if you ever think of me

Cause everything's so wrong

And I don't belong  
drowning in your precious memories

And I need you

And I miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall,

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass me by?

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles,

If I could just see you,

Tonight.

And I, I, don't wanna let this go

I, I, drown in your memories,

I, I, don't wanna let this go,

I, I don't

"Making' my way down town,

Walking fast,

Faces pass,

And I'm homebound.

Just staring blankly ahead

Making my way

Making my way through the crowd

And I still need you

And I still miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall, into the sky

Do you think time,

Would pass me by,

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you

If I could just hold you,

Tonight."

One by one, they each hugged me goodnight, and I laid down in my bed, eyes brimming with tears. Silently, they ran down my cheeks as I cried. When I was too exhausted to cry any longer, I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.

--

My dream was vivid. It was about me and Beast. In my dream, he was walking and I saw him. I cried out to him, joyful at seeing him outside of camp, but he didn't see me. He just kept walking, not even hearing me calling to him. When I tried to run to him, my feet wouldn't move.

It was then I woke up.

Beast's calloused hand was over my mouth, and his dark eyes were gazing into mine. I held still against my bed, aware of the goose bumps that spread over my skin. I realized I was in my bikini top, and my coveralls were only half zipped. I must be driving him crazy. He gestured for me to follow him, so I did.

He led me to the basket ball court, and my mouth quirked up with the irony. The first time he'd said he would kiss me, the last time I would see him. He bent over, and retrieved the orange ball. He was still silent, but I knew he wanted to play. I stood on the mid-court line, and he passed me the ball. I passed it back, and he passed it to me again. I faked right, then spun left, knowing his right side was slightly weaker than his left. He didn't get the ball, but he kept pace with me, staying low. At the base of the hoop, I went for a jump shot, and at the top of my jump, he grabbed me around the waist, hugging me to his body.

I had just a second of anticipation before his lips crushed against mine. My eyes closed, and I felt my feet touch the ground. I kissed him back, I'd been waiting for this. His tongue dabbed at my lips and eagerly, I let him in, humming at the taste of his mouth. His tongue wrestled with mine for dominance, and I moaned at the motion. Desperately, hungrily, his mouth ravaged mine, and one of his hands held my waist. The other one twined itself in my hair, pulling me closer to him. I kissed him with all of the fervor I possessed, his hands played havoc with my heartbeat, and his scent muddled my mind so thoroughly I couldn't think straight. After a long time, we separated, breathing raggedly. He leaned his forehead against mine, and I rested my arms around his neck.

Gently, he leaned forward and started again, sweetly this time. Gently, he kissed me on the lips, then the nose, eyes, forehead, and then he attached his lips to my throat, sucking and nipping my skin gently. It was his hands that got me. They were pretty innocent, until they started caressing the skin of my abdomen, roaming to my back, and over my taut abdominals. Tentatively, I kissed him, then kissed my way over his neck, licking and sucking gently. I left red marks, and this pleased me in a way, I'd have a mark, a claim over him. My hands ran over his perfectly defined torso, then came to rest with my fingers in the valley of his back, tracing his spine. He stopped again, and looked me in the eyes. With a hoarse chuckle, he kissed my forehead, "Oh, the things you do to me."

I hit him in the side with my right hook, "I don't want this to be just because I'm leaving. I want you to kiss me because you want to, not because there's a deadline."

He smiled sadly, "Yes ma'am."

I was struck with a wave of sadness. This would be the last time I saw him, ever. The thought brought tears to my eyes, and I buried my face in his chest, body shaking with my sobs. His strong arms came around me, and gently, he rocked me. I cried for a long time, and the whole time he let me. When I finally stopped, I looked up into his warm black eyes, and he wiped the tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "It's okay Lace. It's okay."

I hugged him again, "No, it's not. I'll never see you again."

My voice cracked on the last word, and he stroked my hair, with a tenderness I didn't know he possessed, "No. You will see me again. When I get out of here, I'll find you."

I pulled back, and looked into his eyes. There was no way. He would be in here for a long time, and forget about me. But I wished for it to be true, so I nodded. I nodded, then hugged him, laying my head on his chest for a long, long time under those court lights.

--

The bus was here bright and early, before the boys even headed out to dig. My boys walked me to it, carrying my stuff for me. They'd wanted to carry me there, but I said no. I still had some dignity. Armpit loaded my stuff onto the bus, and then I hugged every one of them, eyes filling with tears. Zero was last, and he hugged me especially tight. When I backed off, he pointed behind me, and I turned around. Beast was standing there. I was still, not sure what to do. After all, our relationship had changed so quickly, I didn't quite know what to do about it. He did. He took two long strides forward and pulled me to him, hugging me so tight I couldn't breathe. His scent filled me up, and I sighed out deep. He kissed me once on the top of my head, then stood back, "See ya around Ladybug."

"Goodbye Beast."

I turned and got onto the bus. The driver closed the door behind me, and I sat down in a seat across from my back pack. Today I'd worn a white tank top, and a pair of red boxing shorts that went down to my knees. When I sat down, something poked me from inside of the shorts, and I stuck my hand into the pocket. There was a necklace with a pewter, Hawaiian style fishhook on it. There was also a little note attached. I unfolded the note, and scanned it. Unfortunately, it brought a whole new round of tears to my eyes.

"_Lacey,_

_I think I might love you._

_John."_

Fingers shaking, I tied the necklace around my neck, and then I put my head in my hands and cried for a good ten minutes before I could stare out the window at the barren landscape. I hummed a little tune, and the words escaped my lips silently.

"Barely even friends,

Then somebody bends,

Beauty and the Beast."

--

**If you cried, let me know. If you thought about crying, let me know. If you wanted to cry, but weren't able to, let me know. And if you're going 'em, that was your worst chapter yet, don't write another word' let me know as well. I'd rather know what you think than stay up late at night wondering what those mysterious readers that don't review thought. **

**Em.**

**PS: And fear not gentle reader, this is not the end of the lacey and beast saga. There is more to come.**


	11. Black Belt

**Hey everyone! It's great to be back, and I would like to apologize for my long, long absence. I really don't have a good excuse, and I guess I just procrastinated, until my lovely and talented editor, Miss Paddawhump, gave me a swift kick to the rear. Contrary to previous announcements, this will not be the last chapter. This is a quick chapter from our favorite beast's point of view. It was requested by a close friend of mine, she wanted another chapter with beast narrorating, so here it is. I hope you enjoy, and I'm pretty sure that the next one will be the last.**

--

I pulled myself out of my hole. Tired, I started my trek back to camp. If I'd thought camp was hell before, it was ten times worse now. Lacey was gone. My mind drifted back to her last twenty-four hours at camp.

--

I'd been avoiding her, trying to keep her final day from being painful. It didn't work. Instead, I saw her pain. It wasn't just in her eyes either. Her shoulders drooped, her eyes traced the ground, and her feet scuffed the dirt. Even her hair seemed to dim. When I passed D-tent's dig site on the way to camp, I heard her singing. It was a sad song, one I knew the words to. I very nearly stopped, but didn't. Why cause her more pain? She was probably angry anyways. Of course, I showered before her that day. At the time, I didn't know where she was. Turns out she'd been helping the boys with their holes. What a girl. While she was in the shower I peeked out, taking her in. Her body was gorgeous, and I'd had the luxury of feeling her against me. Twice. That was two times more than any other guy in camp. I knew from experience though, she was deadly, like a poisonous flower. Before she got out, I pulled back into the shade. I could feel her eyes on the tent. I could feel her sorrow, because I was feeling it too. Dinner passed, and I avoided her eyes. Every time her eyes grazed me, I felt goose bumps rise on my arms. She was such a turn on. When her tent left, I only tensed further. The hell with leaving her alone, I had to talk to her one last time.

--

Silently, I slipped between the tents. Hers was three from mine, and I climbed up the steps silently. It was dark in the tent, but I could see her from the little light there was. She was wearing her coverall half zipped, and her white bikini top. My mouth went dry, but I swallowed and crept closer. Something was wrong. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her head was turning gently from side to side. Little whimpers escaped her mouth, and a word slipped through her lips: "Beast."

That one syllable was urgent, but frightened. I put my hand over her mouth, and she woke instantly. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. God, she was so beautiful when her hair was tousled like that. She looked sexy. I stifled the urge, and motioned for her to follow me to the court. Gracefully, she rose, and followed, feet silent on the ground. I almost turned around to see if Lacey, my Lacey, was still there. She seemed like a dream.

At the court I picked up the ball, and she was already on the half court line. I passed it to her, she passed it back, and I passed it again. She wove, and my eyes were on her profile. She darted in, and my eyes were glued her. Easily, she went up for a jump shot, and I could contain myself no longer. Screw making her wait until she wanted me bad enough to come after me, I wanted her now. I pulled her hard, but somehow soft body to mine, and claimed her lips roughly. She yielded to me, and kissed back desperately. With one hand, I pulled her waist closer, loving the delicious feel of her skin against mine. Greedily, I nipped her bottom lip and tasted her mouth hungrily. She tasted delicious; her lips were sweet. She moaned, and her tongue battled fiercely with mine. I fought back, and soon I'd pinned her, and claimed her mouth roughly with mine. Finally, we broke for air. Lacey, the girl that changed me, had turned me on more with that kiss than any girl had ever with anything. It was unbelievable, and I had to have more. I leaned down, and bit down on the skin of her neck. Her breath hitched, and I smirked. She was so sexy. I worked my way over her neck, and down to just above her collar bone. Roughly, I sucked on her sweet, clean skin. I wanted to leave a mark so that everyone would know she was mine. I wanted to leave something to say 'this is my woman, stay away', so I did. Gently, I dragged my fingers over her stomach. Awed, I traced each curve of her stomach, abs and ribs, and my fingers probed the muscles in her back gently. She started this time, doing wonderful things to my neck with either her lips or her tongue. I'm not quite sure. I know she sucked hard enough to leave marks; Spider pointed them out later on. It was amazing, but I was ready to kiss her again. Firmly, I tilted her head up and kissed her fully on the lips, almost rough. She melted under my hands. I cannot even say what a turn on that was, her giving herself up like that. She was always so guarded. But I could undo her. A lot softer than I was used to, her fist collided with my ribs, and I pulled back.

"I don't want this just to be because I'm leaving. I don't want this to be because we're under a deadline."

I smiled sadly, "Yes, ma'am."

She broke down then, and I held her to me, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. I promised her that I'd find her again, and I meant it. My word was something I took seriously. Of course, Lacey didn't believe me, but she wanted to, so she agreed. Eventually, she fell asleep, and I took her back to her tent. She seemed so innocent in my arms, but I knew that she was tough, funny, jaded, and kind. She was Lacey, utterly and completely. After she was tucked in, I walked back to my tent and laid down; knowing that the next day could be one of the more important ones in my life.

--

Somehow, I woke up before the alarm sounded, and I knew what to give Lacey to remember me by. When I was a kid, my brother had given me a Hawaiian fishhook on a leather tie. I'd worn it every day, and that would be what I gave to Lacey. With a little difficulty, I pulled it off, and wrote a note I knew would make her cry. Heck, it bared my soul, and I hoped she would accept it. Before the alarm rang, I flopped back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. She kept racing through my brain: the first time I'd seen her, the time in the wreck room where she'd beaten me up, the first time we'd walked back together, the first time I saw her cry, the time when she'd gone berserk on Easy.

And then last night flashed through my mind. There were so many senses that assaulted me from last night. Her taste, the scent of her skin, the feel of her body against mine and under her hands, the little moans she made, and her beauty. Just thinking about it turned me on. How did this happen? I mused. I'd gone from hard to get ladies man, to getting turned on by a girl, without even reaching second base. She was like a drug. The bell rang and I stuffed the necklace into my pocket. As the others got dressed, I stretched, and eventually, we left for the mess hall. Lacey was outside with the boys from D-tent. I walked over and stood behind her. When she finished hugging Zero, he pointed at me, and she turned. God, she was beautiful, even when she was so close to tears. This was the first time I'd seen her body in clothes that fit, and I was shocked at the effect. It made her skin seem darker, and her hair seem even redder than it was already. She was a vision. I saw the indecision in her eyes. That was an easy fix; I strode forward and swept her into my arms. I wanted to memorize the feel of her body against mine, her scent, and the texture of her hair. I wanted to kiss her. She would just punch me though. My Lacey didn't want me to feel pressured to kiss her. Unknown to her, I'd wanted to kiss her senseless the whole time she'd been here. I pulled away.

"Good bye Lacey."

Her eyes were sad, "Goodbye Beast," and she boarded the bus. I smiled a little; I'd slipped the necklace into her pocket. Before the bus pulled away, I saw her reach into her pocket and pull it out, eyes curious. I even saw her unfold the note, but I didn't see what happened after that, the bus had turned too far away. With that, all of us just went to the mess hall for breakfast, silent with our thoughts.

--

I shoved my toothbrush into my backpack. It was my last day now, and I was glad to be leaving. Especially because new evidence had been found that I hadn't had sex with that girl. I grinned, now I just had one charge of underage drinking. That wasn't bad at all. Most would have been upset they'd been sent to Camp Greenlake. Not me. I was glad, because I'd met Lacey. Now, I wanted to make her proud. I was going straight. No more theft, armed battery, sex, nothing. When I found her again, I wanted to be someone that she'd want to be with: A different man. Spider walked me to the bus, "Good luck buddy."

I smiled and knocked my fist against his, "Thanks. I'm so ready to be gone."

His smile was a little bitter, "Now I'm all alone with our tent."

"Don't worry about it. They'll leave you alone."

I looked up at the driver, and he scowled. Spider interrupted my thoughts, "Are you gonna look for Bee?"

"You know it."

He nodded, and we shook hands, "See ya."

I waved from the bus steps, "Good luck."

"Ditto."

And with that, the bus pulled away. I was happy to leave. Smiling a little, I leaned my head back against the seat. Lacey's face ran through my mind, and I savored the memory of her. I couldn't wait to find her.

--

A bit tired, I walked into my apartment in New York. It wasn't an apartment so much as a loft, and it was where I'd been living since I'd moved here. Right now I was working as a bouncer for a high end club, and it paid well enough. My keys landed on the counter, and I flipped my lap top open. As I did every night, I typed one word into Google image search. It came up with plenty of things, like women's lingerie. Not that I didn't enjoy imagining women wearing those things, I would much rather find Lacey. The usual pictures of her came up. There was one of her in court, and hundreds of her in the ring. From what I gathered, she was good. I'd clicked on all of these at some point in time, but they were usually just bios, blogs from horny fan boys, or women's power blogs. There was nothing that revealed where she was right now. Or if there was, I didn't find it. I sighed and logged off, going to bed after a quick shower.

--

I was walking down the street on my way to buy food. I was down to a couple slices of cheese, and a half full milk carton. That's how prepared I am. New York's hustle and bustle calmed me, and I relaxed, humming, though my brow stayed furrowed. I was rounding the corner news kiosk, and something caught my eyes. It was an issue of the magazine "Black Belt" and Lacey was on the cover. Not even thinking, I grabbed the magazine, and scanned the cover. Her eyes were blazing even in the photograph. Her mouth was set in a firm scowl as her fist shot towards the camera. Her hair was just as I remembered. I flipped the magazine open, and found the article on her. Apparently there was a big fight coming up for her in Chicago. It gave the time, place, and the number to call for tickets, along with an interview. I read that.

_R: We heard you went to a juvenile detention camp for boys. What was that like?_

_L: it was better than expected. I made a very close friend in Hector Zeroni, and it put me in great shape. It's also where I got my hairstyle from._

_R: What do you mean by that?_

_L: I cut it when I got there to mask my gender._

_R: Wow. What are you talking about when you said it got you in great shape?_

_L: We dug a hole five feet deep and wide every day. Digging is great for shoulders and arms, and if you lift a certain way, your abs and legs too._

_R: Does your training regimen compare?_

_L: Of course, but the amount I could do before camp is way lower than after camp._

_R: Alright, so you're saying folks should dig to get strong?_

_L: I guess._

_R: Will there be any romance between you and Hector?_

_L: *laughs* no, Hector and I are very close, but that would never happen._

I didn't read the rest right then and there; I tossed money to the man at the kiosk and ran back to my apartment. Immediately, I called and reserved a ticket, then sat and read the article. It was a three-page article on Lacey's upcoming fight against a Heather Newburg. The first page of the article outlined the fight to come, and talked about the girls' history. Each girl had a page devoted to her. Their page had an interview, an outline of their training and martial arts background, and a picture. Lacey was easily more beautiful than this Heather girl, and I could feel that Lacey would tear her apart. When I'd read the article seven times, I let the magazine drop to the floor, and called in sick to work. I needed to think.

--

**Please review!! I'm really not expecting much though. Stats show that the people that alert/favorite me don't exactly review. And the people that don't favorite me have probably forgotten about this story by now. So yeah, not expecting much, but feel free to surpass my expectations.**


	12. The Burier

**Alrighty folks, this is the last chapter, for sure. A great many thanks go to my faithful readers, though I may not know their names, and my loving reviewers. I would name every single one of you if I wasn't in the middle of studying for finals; just know that I love you. Also thanks to my talented and lovely editor, paddawhump, she is the reason that I don't have embarrassing format/grammar errors, and I owe her big time. Or I would, if me getting you this chapter wasn't her fault, I sent it to her like a month ago. Anyways, enjoy, and stay tuned, because I'm definitely writing another one.**

--

My heart was racing, tonight was serious. It was a chance to win the women's' MMA welterweight division. I'd read up on my opponent, and trained like crazy, now all I could do was over think everything.

I scanned the crowd, and saw Zero's face out there, absorbed with the fight ahead of me, and then looked back down. I really wanted to see Beast. I didn't know if he remembered me, but I missed him like crazy. With my gloved hand, I pushed my necklace a little, feeling the weight of it around my neck. In just a second, Pat would complain that I shouldn't be wearing jewelry, but they knew I wouldn't take it off unless a ref made me. Knowing me, I'd lose it, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. The buzzer rang for the fight ahead of me, and I stood, bouncing from foot to foot, just a ball of nervous energy. When I went up there, I knew that the energy would cool, and I would be left calm and calculating. Bert shoved my other glove onto my hand, and I held still as he laced it, then I pulled my shirt off. I fought in a sports bra and boxing shorts, that way they couldn't grab me when we got sweaty; I'd slip through their fingers.

The announcer began my intro, "A mixed martial artist holding a professional record of fifteen wins, four losses, standing five feet, seven inches tall, weighing in at one hundred and forty pounds, fighting out of Los Angeles California, Lacey, the burier, Swanson!"

The crowd cheered as I stepped into the ring, shoving my mouth guard as Bert shouted some instructions in my ear. "She hurt her left knee as a kid; try some kicks."

My opponent, Heather Newton, stepped into the ring, bouncing back and forth, hair braided tight against her head. She was my opponent for the night, and as the announcer called out her intro, I analyzed her. Two inches taller than me, which gave her a slight reach advantage, but it meant that I had more muscle mass. She was blonde, pretty, and she looked cocky, like I would be no challenge. Female fighters were different than male: girls judged more on looks rather than record. Heather had an excellent professional record, not undefeated, a couple of losses here and there, never knocked out. She was tough, and I knew I couldn't underestimate her.

"Go get her Bee." I nodded at Pat and stepped up, staring my opponent down. If she wanted that title, she would have to fight like hell for it. We tapped gloves, the buzzer rang, and I drove into her right away. Her opponents were the watch and wait kind, but to me, the best defense was a good offense, and I knocked her off her feet with a double leg takedown right away. She landed well, her fists came up, and she started to throw punches, which I blocked with one arm, while my other slammed her in the gut. Without warning, she bucked, and tried to roll me, but I hung on. When she paused from a particularly hard punch, I swung myself up and over her, then did something Bert liked to call, 'the lemon squeeze'. Not only did it hurt, but it squeezed the breath out of her, and slowly, like an anaconda, I squeezed the air from her lungs. I felt her chest go empty, and she struggled for a few seconds, then the referee blew the whistle. She'd blacked out. I walked over to my corner, and our athletic trainer patched the cut over my eye while Bert slapped me on the back.

"You used my move."

I grinned, pulling my mouth gaurd out, "Yeah, and it worked."

The ref called me over, and Heather and I shook hands. She looked surly, and I grinned, sore losers cracked me up. My hand was raised to thunderous applause, and I exited the ring, pleased with myself.

--

"No guys, really, all I want to do is go to bed."

Regretful, my sensei's nodded, and let me close the elevator door. I chuckled at their disappointed expressions. They'd had their hearts set on taking me to a large, celebratory dinner in honor of my victory, but I was exhausted. It'd been a long day, with a two mile run in the morning, and my adrenaline rush for the last three hours. All I wanted was to get out of the crowd, take a shower, and go to bed. The elevator dinged softly, and I walked to my room, digging my hotel key from a pocket in my pants. As soon as the door swung closed behind me, I stripped my clothes and turned the shower on cold. As the icy water streamed over me, I grinned in memory of camp. It'd been four years, and oddly, I could still shower in icy water. I shut the water and pulled a towel from the rack and dried off slowly. Camp Green Lake had been shut down, the Texas state police had been called in when a camper disappeared, and realized how horrible it was there. The boys had been let out, and they came to my fights when they could, my faithful cheerleaders. I'd kept in touch with everyone but Beast. Lord knows where he'd gone. My cell phone buzzed, and I picked it up, snapping out of my daze, "Hey."

Zero's voice sounded through the phone, "Hey good job."

"Thanks Z."

I could hear the sounds of the lobby, "Can I come up?"

"Yeah. Room 853."

The smile in his voice was clear even over the phone, "Be there in five."

We hung up, and I cracked my knuckles; time to get down to business. Quickly, I pulled on a ratty pair of black sweatpants, and a black sports bra, and then dropped to the floor for my nightly regime. Fifty push ups, a hundred sit ups, and two hundred jumping jacks. When my muscles were warm and springy from the exercise, I sank into the splits. My senseis had insisted that I needed to do a little working out before bed each day, so I did.

A knock sounded on the door, and I stood out of my back bend, "Hold on a sec, Z."

Feeling light, I skipped to the door and pulled it open without bothering to look through the peep hole.

"Hey Z!" My voice trailed away. The man at the door was not Zero. He was a tall, well built man with tanned skin, dark eyes, and was handsomely rugged. I froze, and breathed in, his scent filling me. It brought back memories of dirt, sun, and…

"Beast?"

The man's dark eyes scanned me up and down, and he sighed, staring in my eyes now, "The things you do to me."

I was stunned silent, only able to gape, and he smirked, "Miss me, ladybug?"

I shot into his arms screaming, "Beast!!!"

His arms wrapped around me, and he kissed me on the top of the head, "Told you you'd see me again."

Joyful, I tilted my head up to see his face again, "You're back!"

Firmly, he kissed me on the lips, "I owed you that."

--

That memory always brought a grin to my face, and I snapped out of the memory. My boyfriend of two years now sat in front of me, dressed impeccably in a suit, and swirling his glass of red wine. I matched his smirk, and picked my glass up, taking a small sip.

We'd chatted randomly through dinner, and I marveled again over how lucky we were to be together right now. Beast had not been able to move out of New York for a while, but finally he found an apartment in Los Angeles, near where I was going to college. His deep voice interrupted my thoughts, "You okay, Lace?"

I grinned, "Yeah. Just taking a walk down memory lane."

Slowly, he took another sip of wine, the intensity in his eyes sending a thrill through my virgin body, and he spoke, his voice sending chills up my spine, "Butterfly, I've been thinking. I've been thinking about how beautiful you are, and how you manage to kick my ass every time I need it, and I've decided you're the right woman to ask."

He stood, and sank down on one knee in front of me, and my thoughts ground to a halt. Was he going to ask me…?

Gently, he snapped a little black box open to reveal a beautiful, glittering ring on the satin coushin, "Lacey Maria Swanson, I love you. I'd like to marry you, if you'll have me for the rest of my life."

My eyes teared up, and my brain unfroze, "Yes!"

Smirking now, he slid the ring onto my finger, and kissed me firmly, something like a growl of satisfaction deep in his throat.

"Let's get outta here."

I nodded quickly, and he threw some cash on the table, then lifted me off my feet, threw me over his shoulder, and strode purposefully out of the restaurant. Grinning, I shook my head, pleased with the way my fairy tale would begin.

_Tale as old as time_

_Song as old as rhyme_

_Beauty and the Beast_

_--_

**we're done, how sad. Let me know what you thought!**


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